


The Price of Acceptance

by koalathebear



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-16
Updated: 2013-02-16
Packaged: 2017-11-29 11:10:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/686295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koalathebear/pseuds/koalathebear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not only is this story NC-17 (and I ordinarily don't like to write NC-17 because it embarrasses me and I'm not very good at it!), but it's also very dark and sails very close to fairly unforgiveable behaviour on the part of Apollo. Implied blackmail and a much uglier word, although the story kind of resolves it a little later on but it may not be to your satisfaction. I would strongly urge you to resist curiosity and not read this story if you think you might be sensitive about Apollo's conduct.  A further problem with the Price of Acceptance is that it was written quite a long time ago. Now that the season has developed, now that we know that Apollo isn't that repressed self-denying fellow I thought he was but that actually, he sees prostitutes blah blah.</p>
<p>Apollo for me now feels like a very different character to the one he felt like in the beginning of season 2. People who want to read the story should read it with 'early season 2 goggles' :D  On that note, if you decide to proceed and read this, please don't blame me :)  Thank you kindly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Vengeance

Sharon tried not to show that she noticed that Apollo was staring at her again. He had been staring at her since Kobol. It had started that night when she and Helo had been staring at the sky and talking about memories, about where she felt at home .... She had looked up and seen Apollo staring at her, a look of fascinated disgust on his face. She had stared back expressionlessly but given no other indication that she had seen him.

Over the weeks, she had grown accustomed to the stares, accusing stares from crew, dead, furious stares from Cally and long and disconcertingly intense stares from Tyrol. There were hushed whispers when she walked past. Sometimes they weren't so hushed. "Cylon, she shouldn't be here." She saw the hate and the mistrust.

Apollo's stare was something quite different. He followed her every move, his gaze moved over her entire body, travelling over legs, hips, breasts, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. His gaze then always returned to rest on her face, studying her full mouth and then his eyes would lock with hers. She couldn't read that expression but it made her feel uncomfortable ... and something else. 

She didn't tell Helo. He had more than enough on his plate. It was beginning to resemble a school yard scenario, she the seven pound weakling with Helo, her champion getting into battle after battle on her behalf. She didn't want it, she didn't want him facing those conflicts because of her because sooner or later he would start asking himself the inevitable - was it all worth it - for a Cylon?

A crazy, crazy part of her now missed Caprica. Things had been so much simpler there in a way ... She now understood what Helo had meant when his voice had contained a faintly wistful note on Kobol when referring to Caprica. That time on Caprica was their time alone. Now each heartbeat of her life was by the grace of the Adamas.

Helo had argued long and hard with Adama to get her out of the brig. To her surprise, Starbuck had added her support although with the post-script: "If she puts even a finger out of line, I'll take her down myself," Starbuck had said bluntly.

"That's fair," Sharon had conceded when Helo had looked as if he was going to say something. "I won't betray your trust," she had promised. That move by him had caused even more questions to be raised about his loyalties, about his motives but the fact was, Helo was Helo. You only had to meet him to know that integrity, loyalty and decency were what he was about. Cylon sympathiser or collaborator was a joke. Man desperately in love, that was different.

The compromise reached was the large, heavy collar that she now wore around her throat. It allowed her to move around the ship, however if she entered any of the sensitive areas, not only would it alert the crew to a breach of her parole, but it would also administer mind-numbing pain. Helo hated it, his eyes filled with guilt and sorrow whenever he looked at it. 

Sharon didn't care. She had no desire to go to sensitive areas on the ship. She just wanted to get through each day, day by day and wake up in the morning to see Helo's eyes smiling down at her. Just his gaze resting warmly and lovingly on her made everything worthwhile, and his body .... well that was to die for.

He was slowly, slowly getting reaccepted back into the fleet. He had assisted Tyrol with the building of the new Viper. The Galactica had survived its tragic encounter with the Pegasus. Sharon shuddered, not wanting to think about the Pegasus. It was a memory that returned to her in during her nightmares and only the warmth of Helo's arms around her when she shuddered awake with a cry on her lips manged to banish the remembered terror. 

Sharon had yet again done her part for the ship. She had stopped the Cylon virus. She still had livid scar on her palm to prove it, but that was not enough. Nothing would ever be enough to prove her worth. She was grateful that Helo hadn't been there when she had gone to CIC, collar around her neck, wrists shackled, ankles shackled, a stick keeping her in place like a dog...... He would have been furious and heart-broken.

As it was, Sharon understood. She didn't expect thanks, nor did she want it. She knew why the crew were behaving as they were. The other Sharon had been a part of the crew ... she had seemed like one of them, she had done her duty, she had saved their lives - until she had turned against them. 

War was a mistrustful and dangerous time. She had known more than Helo had before she had come what the price of 'returning' to Galactica would be. 

It was a price she paid gladly.

* * *

> _"I need you to know something. I'm Sharon but I'm a different Sharon. I know who I am. I don't have hidden protocols or programming lying in wait to be activated. I make my own choices, I make my own decisions and I need you to know that that this is my choice._

Apollo's nerves were fraying. They were almost at breaking point. What was causing the tension was unclear. All he knew was that there was a slow building anger, fury and frustration building inside him. It throbbed in his temples, it thrummed through his body and it made him as taut and tense as a twig about to snap. The ceremony on the Galactica once they had returned from Kobol had been ... interesting. He had stood there applauding President Roslin whole-heartedly but as the crowd had dispersed, his thoughts were far away again.

He now understood why Kara had tried to stop him from shooting .... the thing calling itself Sharon when she had returned from Caprica. To have your life saved created a feeling of obligation, regardless of whether you knew you were being manipulated. He had been against the President following Sharon's directions to the Tomb of Athena but as was always the case with the President, she was immovable once she had made up her mind. Stubborn, ruthless and determined, the President always did exactly what she wanted regardless of the cost. A broken promise, a carrier full of civilians, wanting to leave Kara behind when Adama and Apollo had wanted to continue searching for her..... Although her health was deteriorating rapidly and Apollo could see how frail she had become both physically and emotionally, she had insisted on being part of the Kobol team. He had always admired her strong will.

A muscle moved in Apollo's jaw. When she had walked on the Astral Queen. He had been furious. The look of apprehension on her face doing nothing to quell his anger. He had stared at her disbelievingly. He didn't like the fact that he could still see the way Sharon's pupils had constricted in fear when he had seized her, hurling her violently against the wall, his gun to her head, fury and murderous intent in his blazing eyes. How could a machine feel fear? How could a machine's pupils constrict in reaction, breathing quicken in panic and pulse race in terror? How indeed and yet he had felt all of that and more. He had seen naked and raw fear in Sharon's eyes.

He had been stopped but knew that he wouldn't have felt an ounce of regret if he had blown her away. If he had seen her blood spill the way she had spilled his father's blood, he would have considered himself avenged. Nothing. Nothing could _ever_ compensate for the grief and horror he had felt as he had watched his father being shot before his eyes. Nothing would ever remove the tortured uncertainty he had felt as Adama had remained between life and death. It had been a terrifying thought to realise that he would be the last remaining Adama in the universe. Sharon and Helo could scream until they were both blue in the face that this Sharon was not the same Sharon but as far as Apollo was concerned, the Cylons were all the same. Cold-blooded, merciless ruthless killing machines that did exactly what they wanted regardless of the cost. 

That being the case, it still irked him to no end that she had saved his life. When he saw her running away on Kobol, he could have sworn that she was trying to escape. When she had picked up the gun, he could have sworn that she was going to turn on them like the monster that she was. He had been infuriated and extremely disconcerted when after one fierce glare at him she had flung him off and calmly blown away the Cylon standing on the cliff above them. 

"You've got to be frakking kidding me," he had muttered incredulously, torn between disbelief and irritation at her actions. There had been a touch of chagrin in his voice as well at the ease with which she had tossed him off. Surely she hadn't been so simplistic as to think that he could be won over so easily by such a blatant attempt to demonstrate loyalty? So she had blown away one of her own, since when were Cylons known for loyalty and honour? He for one wasn't so easily manipulated.

Nonetheless, the 'debt' was still an irritation which nagged at the edges of his consciousness when he allowed himself to linger on it. His reconciliation with Adama had also been tainted by the sight of Adama trying to choke the life out of Valerii. Why the frak wasn't she fighting back, Apollo had demanded of himself as he had held up his gun to stop the others from approaching while Adama was pinning her to the ground and strangling her. 

As he had held the others off with his rifle, he had heard her gasps and watched in disbelief as she lay there and simply stared into Adama's face. Didn't the Toasters have some kind of built-in self-defence mechanism? What was she waiting for? Was it another part of the act?

He thought harder about the "other Sharon". What did he remember about her? Hard-working, conscientious .... almost mouse-like given that she rarely spoken to him unless he had spoken first. She had been friends with Kara, frakking Tyrol on the side but her interactions with Apollo had been limited and she had always been deferential, verging on shy when she was around him. Kara had said it was a bit of hero worship. "You were a bit of a demi-God at flight school, Sharon's heard all the stories - be nice to her. Besides, she's a Raptor pilot ... didn't have the chops to fly a Viper .... never had the killer instinct you need to be a warrior."

Apollo had been nice to her, friendly even but he hadn't paid much attention to the unexceptionable young lieutenant who had always looked as neat as a pin. She had flown with him during the decommissioning ceremony, had thanked him - a rather cute in awe in her voice as she thanked him. She had brought Baltar back even as her eyes snapped with fury and grief over the loss of Helo - it had been Sharon who had told him that his aged old Viper had saved his life. 

He didn't like remember these thoughts now. Sharon in her Raptor jumping alone back and forth on the commands of the president - looking for ships and bringing them back to the fleet. It had taken a lot of guts and hard work and she had single-handedly rounded up ships and even found a tylium ship. That had been the Sharon he had known - focussed and dedicated. He had sent he to find water and she had returned with water. Even then, there was nothing 'look at me me! look at me!' about Sharon. She was always very much a just: 'doing my job, sir' kind of officer.

When he had heard that she had accidentally injured herself while cleaning her weapon, he had been horrified and infuriated. When visiting her in the hospital with Crashdown he had found himself taken aback by the sight of the raw and angry marks on her face, the bloodstained bandage on her cheek which gave her already vulnerable face a more helpless appearance. Her dark eyes had seemed so lost and bleak. 

"We need you Boomer. You're a .... you're a hell of a pilot, and a good officer. I wish I had a whole squadron of Sharons". He'd meant it, even though he'd felt embarrassed at his words as soon as they left his mouth but the expression in her huge eyes had moved him. Then such a short time later, she had betrayed him and his gentle, indifferent affection and respect for her had turned to a blinding and hot hatred. Her death was what he wanted.

Now? Now she almost seemed like a completely different woman now, he mused. Well, she _was_ a completely different woman, given that the Sharon they knew on Galactica had been killed by one of Tyrol's offsiders .... assuming that you could really "kill" one of them. Could a machine that had never lived in the first place live or die? Highly unlikely all things considered.

When they had arrived on Kobol and he had jibed at her, she had been completely uncowed. "You were quick enough to come on this mission, lead us all to some tomb only mentioned in our false scriptures," he had said cuttingly.

We know more about your religion than you do," she told him firmly, her gaze not moving from hers. He had turned to look at her in a hostile fashion. The old Sharon might have looked down, looked away or fallen into an uncomfortable silence. This Sharon merely met his gaze unflinchingly, her face cold and expressionless. The way she met his eyes and spoke, it was as if she was his damned equal and had just as much right to speak and exist as he did. 

As she continued to explain about Athena's Tomb, he had walked away in contempt, making it clear that what she had to say was of little interest to him and he wasn't going to do her the respect of sticking around to listen to her. To his irritation, she had continued addressing her words to the others - almost as if he hadn't even been there.

That night, he had watched as Helo had opened a chocolate bar for her and shared it with her as the two lay very close to each other under their shelter.

"It gives me the creeps, seeing him act like that with her," he had commented to Kara.

"He loves her, and yeah he knows she's a machine," Kara had said soberly. "He doesn't care, he loves her anyway."

"Frak. How can one of us get that roped in by one of them? You know, we should keep an eye on him too."

Kara had retorted immediately, loyal as always. "Helo's a friend of mine all right? He's one of the good guys."

"Yeah? Well Sharon was a friend of yours, too," he had said cuttingly, regretting it almost as soon as he had said it. Kara had turned silent, their camerarderie temporarily shattered as his words had hurt her. Lee had been mad at himself for lashing out yet again. Things had been going well. He'd meant it when he'd told her that he loved her. Kara was one of his oldest and dearest friends...... one of the few remaining links he still had back to Zak, to the boy he had once been and to the life he had known back on Caprica. 

When she had slept with Baltar, he had almost ruined things between them, lashing out at her when he was angry but when she had returned from Caprica, not only alive but triumphant with the Arrow, he had decided that the Gods were giving him a second chance, that he hadn't destroyed the friendship after all. The knowledge that she was still alive had hit him like a fist in the gut and the joy he had felt had been almost overwhelming.

The friendly, welcoming kiss on the lips while not returned, had not been spurned and when he'd said he loved her, it was the old Kara again, teasing and taunting him over a statement which meant everything but also meant nothing. Yet again, Sharon's presence had poisoned a moment of joy for Apollo. His reunion with Kara. His reunion with his father.

Then again, Kara was supposed to be _his_ friend yet had prevented him yet again from shooting Sharon when he had gone to the cell on the Astral Queen. 

Didn't she know the meaning of loyalty? How could she have sided with ... the enemy over her friend. Didn't she know what the Cylons were like? He couldn't believe that she could allow herself to be played like that. 

To be honest, his original intention at the time had been to talk to Sharon, to get answers but the sight of those huge dark eyes that looked so deceptively innocent and vulnerable had caused a hot fury to rise in his veins and he had drawn his gun before he had known what he was doing. He had trusted her and she had _betrayed_ him.

Perhaps that's why he had been so cruel to Kara .... poison pills about her friend Helo ... jibes about her 'friend' Sharon. What about her friend Apollo? How could someone who was his friend also befriend a Cylon Sympathiser? How could a friend of his have also befriended a Cylon - albeit unwittingly. More to the point, how could she even defend a Cylon, albeit half-heartedly? He knew where his loyalties were even if others didn't. He could control his emotions even if others couldn't.

Apollo suppressed the anger he felt against himself. Explain it away as he might, for some reason that night despite the fact that he said it gave him the "creeps", he hadn't been able to take his eyes of the couple across from them .... More specificically, he hadn't been able to take his eyes off _her_. 

That thing. What was it? First the Chief, now Helo. Was she working her way up the food chain?

He had watched every smile that crossed her mouth, every parting of her lips and every gesture of her hands. He had heard her laugh, seen a look of reminiscence and humour in her eyes, all the time marvelling at the programming and design that could have created such a complex creature that looked so real. Was it now possible not only to emulate human form and human action - could the Cylons also emulate human emotions and _cause_ corresponding emotions in response?

There had been an unreadable expression in his eyes as he had watched her and a feeling of growing suspicion and unease as he had watched her. She might have known he was watching. At one point, her gaze had lifted and met his squarely, again with an unparallelled arrogance as she looked him in the eye challengingly. Did she not realise the difference between them? That he was human and she was just a pale shadow of humanity craving and clutching at an existence it did not have or deserve?

He hadn't been fooled by her actions outside the tomb. Meier's gun at his own head had angered him less than the gun he saw pointing at his father's head. When Valerii had turned and shot Meier, Apollo would have turned his own gun on her but for his father's gesture that he not shoot. 

_....different..... different Sharon .... Choices.... decisions .... choice....._

A serpent with a honeyed and forked tongue. A beautiful, desirable and alluring serpent with her unfathomable dark eyes and deceptively helpless appearance. She was far from helpless, though. He knew for himself that she was strong. Her endurance was terrifying - out of the entire group she had not faltered during their Kobol journey. He had felt the strength in her when she had thrown him off her before firing behind him. It was probably her eyes, the softness of her face that made her look helpless. There was nothing helpless in her attitude though. Defiant and proud even dressed in the red prisoner's jumpsuit she had not been cowed or afraid. There was something unsettling in that.

The latest frakking debacle. When the virus had taken over the ship, it had been Sharon who had stepped up to rescue them. That's right, now everyone was in her debt. Apollo still remembered what it had felt like to be choking for oxygen in the shooting hall, both he and Kara fumbling their way for a gun to blast a hole so that they could breathe. Then the horror of seeing a massive squadron of Cylon Raiders approaching in eerily perfect formation.

Dee had described things to him in great detail in the CIC. Sharon had been hauled into CIC, collared, cuffed at ankles and wrists, and a stick attached to the collar around her neck. She had given orders almost as if she belonged, she had known information that only the other Sharon had known. And then, horrifyingly she had slashed at her hand, bleeding to the ground, turning pale and very sickly as she thrust a cable into her own flesh and turned the Cylon virus back against the Cylons.

Although Apollo had been caught up in the rejoicing about the new Viper like everyone else had - he was still preoccupied with thoughts of Sharon. What was her agenda, why was she doing this. He was glad to see that his father hadn't softened though, she had been thrown back into the brig. According to Dee who had looked a little troubled when she recounted the story, Adama had referred to her as a thing. 

Apollo hadn't been able to stop himself, he had viewed the CIC footage under the pretext that he was gaining data on their enemy prisoner. It had been fascinating. She had been .... magnificent and heart-breaking. The fact that he had felt emotion stirring in his heart caused hot rage to rise in him again. He could he allow himself to be so easily manipulated? She was clearly doing all of this for her own purposes. 

After the Pegasus tragedy, he had not had much time to dwell on things other than repairing which had been caused by their brief interaction with that troubled battleship - but now that things were largely back to 'normal' .... his own private thoughts were rearing their ugly head again.

* * *

Lately, large parts of Sharon's day were spent with Adama, Baltar, Apollo, Starbuck and the President briefing them about what she knew about the Cylons. No handcuffs, ankle binders or stick. Just the metal collar around her throat to which she had already become accustomed. Cylons were nothing if not adaptable.

"To be honest, I led a fairly sheltered existence. The sad thing is that I can probably tell you more about Galactica and its people than the Cylons. My memories are all Sharon's memories," she said softly. 

They looked sceptical. Roslin's gaze was slightly more sympathetic these days and Adama's was hard to read but not as full of hostility as previously. That wasn't hard - he had been shaking with fury and loathing before. Even in the CIC, he had called her a .... thing .... It was difficult. She understood why he was as he was ... but the Adama of her memories had loved her ... had been kind to her ... 

Apollo's gaze was still full of suspicion and hostility whenever he stared at her. 

At the end of today's session, she walked out of the briefing room, heading towards the library and sensed rather than heard someone behind her. She continued to walk. As she passed by a deserted corridor she heard Lee spoke softly.

"You know I'm here, Sharon." 

He was almost too pretty with those clean-cut features, those intensely blue eyes. The only thing that saved him from being pretty was the fact that his arms rippled with muscles, almost rivalling Helo's. Almost. There could never be any competition.

"Is there something you wanted, sir?" she asked him. 

"Sir?" he asked incredulously. "You're not in the military anymore Sharon. You don't have to call me, sir. It's almost quaint that you call me that."

"How may I help you, Captain Adama?" she asked him politely, her dark eyes wary. She had never stood this close to him before, seen his clear skin, seen his angular jaw from this angle, the deepness of his blue eyes and the almost angelic lines of his face. When he didn't respond, she continued.

"You've been watching me. Are you afraid I'll snap and betray you all? Are you preparing to shoot me, eject me out the air lock at the whim of the president?"

"Unlike some whipped ECOs, I jump in response to the whims of no woman .... Cylon or human," Apollo said with an unsettling smile.

"I got you and your people to the Tomb of Athena, I saved your sorry ass and your father's so I'd appreciate it if you'd just leave me alone. I don't want to cause any trouble."

"But you see ... Sharon .... or she who claims to be Sharon - just having you around is trouble .. and troublesome." Apollo said softly, his gaze travelling over her body slowly. She felt her skin prickle with unease as his eyes rested on her mouth.

"Your counterpart always seemed like a bit of a meek mouse on Galactica. Rarely spoke to me .... shy smiles, head down, going about her work. But you on Kobol - defiant, angry, taking matters into your own hands. You even made that frakking jumpsuit look good, not to mention you look sexy as hell dripping from the rain." Sharon's eyes widened.

"Captain Adama, please. This is totally inappropriate."

"Totally inappropriate," he mimicked mockingly. "Since when are Cylons concerned about proper protocol?" he asked her. 

He reached out his hand to touch her face. She gripped his wrist and held it back very easily from her face, her dark eyes fierce as they shot him a warning look.

He laughed softly. "That's right, you're stronger than humans. Could you snap me in half like a twig? Break my neck with your thighs? It should be a disturbing thought .... So where's Helo today, Sharon? He wouldn't perhaps be on the three day reconnaisance mission that _I_ sent him on, would he?" Apollo asked her, smiling again, his eyes not moving from her face. 

Sharon released his hand, allowing it to drop and she stared at him warily. "Yes, yes he is." she replied shortly.

Apollo lifted his eyebrows. "There's no counting the amount of information I might require .... and the dangerous spots I could send him to." Apollo mused to himself. "Life could become very difficult for your loyal and square-jawed champion." Apollo told her. "What if he was labelled as a Cylon conspirator, for instance? Did you know the punishment for treason is death."

"You're out of your mind. You wouldn't do that. He's an innocent man. He is loyal to your kind," Sharon said angrily, her dark eyes starting to look unsettled. "Why are you doing this? What do you want from me? I'm telling you everything I know ... "

He raised his hand again to touch her face. She caught his wrist again but he lifted his eyebrows and then she dropped her hand away, realisation suddenly flooding into her eyes as he gave a slow smile and nodded. She glared at him in fury as his fingers traced across her silken cheek lingeringly, touching her jaw. 

His mouth came down on hers and she gave a moan of fury. "Kiss me back," he ordered her and her lips parted obediently beneath his as his tongue plunged into her mouth hungrily, demandingly and slid against hers, demanding the response which she gave reluctantly. The kiss deepened, challenging her. He was a good kisser and despite herself he was able to evoke a response from her. 

When he finally drew back, they were both shaking although her eyes were black with hatred. His mouth was damp, as was hers, his breathing was sharp and ragged as was hers and his eyes were dark with passion and something else. He stared into her eyes.

"That's all right, Sharon. I hate you, too," he told her. His knuckles caressed the smooth skin of her throat softly. "Your kind attacked my home planet, you wiped out my people, _you_ shot my father."

"I've told you again and again, that wasn't me!" She bit out angrily, her voice thick with resentment and something else.

"A thing that looked a hell of a lot like you shot my father," he amended, his eyes dark with passion and emotion. "My father probably said it all when he tried to choke the life out of you - "I want you to die.... die," he repeated and Sharon shivered.

"You've got your weapon, sir. Just shoot me. You've put a gun to my head before. That's what the Adamas like isn't it, pointing guns?"

"I've already told you you don't have to call me, sir. Lee will do."

"Captain Adama, I've also told you before - I am not responsible for the actions of my entire people. I apologise for what the ... other Sharon did to your father. It wasn't me ..... I'm not going to hurt anyone ... I just want to live my life with Helo and be left alone."

"But you see Sharon, it's really not that simple," Apollo told her shaking his head. "You saw me that night on Kobol .... watching you and Helo."

"Yes, I saw you. You couldn't get your eyes off us." she bit out.

"Off _you_. I was disgusted that he could act like that towards .. a machine. A collection of spare parts that should have no more humanity and sexual appeal than .... my Viper or the trash disposal unit .... but seeing you on Kobol ..... so strong, so sexy and determined, mouthing off to me even though your life was on the line - that was something."

"If you enjoy wilful women and have kinky fantasies of being dominated by a female, I suggest you go to Starbuck, sir. She's quite capable of kicking your ass there and back if that's your flavour. She also won't get thrown in the brig or tossed out the airlock like I would for slapping you down like you deserve."

Apollo smiled. "You've got quite a mouth on you, Sharon. No, currently my interest is in slim, sloe-eyed Cylons with mouths that look as if they were created for sin, skin so smooth it begs to be touched and a body meant for pleasure."

"In that case, I think you should go and see Doc Cottle." she told him coolly. "Clearly all that flying time has made you crazy. Cabin pressure will do it to you, coupled with overuse of stims. Bulletin, captain - it's not a good idea to want to frak something you hate." 

She gave a gasp of shock when he slid his hand inside her jacket, under the tank top she wore and placed his hand against her bare skin.

"Are you out of your mind?" she demanded, aware that he was fondling her breast, his fingers slipping over her nipple which to her shame was hard with arousal.

"Are you programmed to respond to a man's touch, Sharon? I know you don't like me but your body is giving off all kinds of conflicting signals." His mouth lowered to hers again and he backed her against the wall taking his time to explore every inch of her mouth, taste her delicious flavour, press his body boldly against hers so that she could feel his raging arousal.

"Captain Adama, you're wanted in command," the PA announced and Sharon breathed a sigh of relief, staring in furious helplessness at Apollo who took a step back. He looked a little shaken himself at how hungry just kissing her made him feel, the fact that the taste of her still lingered in his mouth, that her soft, supple body against his made him crazy with desire.

"See you around, Sharon," he told her, running a fingertip along her lower lip and walking away, leaving her behind, shaking and confused.

* * *

Of course she didn't tell Helo. 

Helo's position in the fleet as pointed out by Apollo was still extremely precarious. He was a good man, open-hearted with much integrity so the fleet members had welcomed him back more warmly than they might otherwise have. They still thought he was slightly misguided and crazy for having brought his 'Cylon girlfriend' back with him, but at this stage they were pretending she didn't exist. Under Helo's auspices though, some of them were slowly, slowly accepting her into their presence.

She also didn't tell Helo because .... she couldn't quite explain how she felt about Apollo. He had always largely treated the other Sharon as his subordinate - which of course she was. As a result, she had very little data on him and had largely dismissed him as a joyless, passionless automaton .... but the way he looked at her, the way his kiss had burnt her senses.

When Helo returned from his mission, he was laughingly startled as she hugged him desperately, kissing him hungrily. She was disturbingly aware that Apollo watched the entire scene, his face expressionless.

She had concentrated on losing herself with Helo that night, laughing and talking, making love. He was the most tender and loving man she had ever met and he spent a great deal of time worrying about her happiness and whether she was being treated well. It was a good day for her when she had been instructed to pair with this human, 'make him fall in love' with her.

"I'm helping out in the infirmary with Doc Cottle when I'm not in briefing sessions," she told him. "I miss flying, but you know ...Beats the brig or hanging out with Dr Baltar." she said with a smile.

They didn't hold hands when they were outside his quarters, but made up for it with many long looks, slight smiles, gentle and little playful touches of the fingertips. Sharon looked up and after smiling at Helo and her smile fade slightly as she saw Apollo standing beside Hot Dog, his gaze resting on her face, his eyes almost devouring her with their hunger. She turned away, feeling very unsettled.

"Are you ok, Sharon?" Helo asked her. "Is it the baby?" he asked her.

"I'm fine Helo, don't worry about me," she told him with an overly bright smile. "Let's go and play cards with the others."

She occasionally joined their card games. At first the atmosphere had been a little chilled and unwelcoming, but once everyone started playing, it was hard to maintain the barriers, especially when she was kicking their asses.

"Are you sure Cylons don't have x-ray vision?" Kat joked and Sharon looked insulted.

"Don't blame me because you're crap," she said sweetly.

"Ooooooh," everyone else at the table announced and Kat folded good-naturedly. 

"I'm not crap, you're just too good." Kat told her and Sharon grinned back at her.

"I beat her last time," Hot Dog protested and Kat looked at him witheringly. 

"Once out of how many times? Helo she's taking all our pay," Kat told Helo who held up his hands.

"I'm in the same boat. I can count on my fingers the number of times I've beaten her."

"You can count?" Sharon mused aloud and everyone laughed while Helo pretending to cuff her across the ear.

"No domestic violence in the rec room, guys," Apollo's voice said from the doorway. He and Starbuck were standing there shoulder to shoulder, slightly tousled from having just returned from a flight. Sharon deliberately avoided his gaze as he and Starbuck swaggered into the room, pulling up a chair.

"Mind if we join?" Starbuck asked. She sat across from Sharon, smiling at her tentatively. Sharon appreciated the efforts that the pilot was putting into a reconciliation. Starbuck and ... the other Sharon had been friends. Her betrayal was a difficult thing to take, but Starbuck was also good friends with Helo and she was making an effort with the dark-haired Cylon with the sad, dark eyes.

"Just more for my winnings," Sharon told her with a cheeky grin and Starbuck laughed, biting off the end of a cigar and surveying the table with interest.

"She's cocky, but I used to whoop her ass back in flightschool," Starbuck told the others. No one bothered to point out that it was the other Sharon.

"I've learned a lot since then, Thrace." Sharon countered and Helo grinned at her. The two of them linked fingers like little kids and Starbuck was laughing although her smile faded slightly as she noticed the way Lee was watching Sharon.

They began to play and at first the winnings went fairly evenly. Sharon won a few hands, but Starbuck was her equal so she won a couple of times. Helo was as bad at bluffing as he always was and Sharon was constantly groaning over him. 

"Don't worry, I'll look after you - _when you lose your shirt_." Sharon told Helo which made everyone shout with laughter.

"Oh she's a keeper," Helo said fondly, tugging on her ponytail.

"Ouch, what is this the eighth grade?" she demanded.

"Can you lose your shirt now, Helo?" Kat asked hopefully and everyone laughed as Sharon pretended to hold up her fists threateningly.

During the final hand, the luck went Apollo's way and Sharon announced. "I'm out of chips and lollypops. I'm out of the game," she announced with consternation, having already bet all her chips and 2 of Helo's lollypops, much to his feigned displeasure.

"You still have other things you can bet." Apollo said cutting through the laughing chatter. Everyone stared at him and his eyes didn't move from Sharon.

"How about that pretty necklace around that throat of yours." he drawled and everyone's eyes dropped to the prisoner's restraining collar she wore around her throat, the collar which would cause unbearable agony if it were triggered. There was an appalled silence.

Sharon's eyes widened in shock.

"Hey that's out of line," Helo said angrily.

"Lee back off," Kara told him warningly.

"It's all right guys," Sharon said, trying to take it lightly. "I'd throw it down on the table now if I could - gotta warn whoever wins it though that it's a real pain in the neck."

Everyone groaned and laughed except Apollo. For a moment, Sharon thought that maybe she had salvaged the moment but Apollo continued.

"If not the dog collar, how about some spare parts. My Viper was making a few noises today, have you got any circuits and wiring you'd like to donate to the cause, Sharon? Or does your driver's licence not say 'donor'?"

"What the frak is wrong with you, Lee?" Starbuck demanded furiously while an absolutely furious Helo was being held back by Sharon.

"Lieutenant Agathon, surely you're not going to hit the CAG over a Cylon, no matter how good she is in the sack." Lee said insultingly and Sharon got to her feet and pulled Helo by the hand.

"I .... I'd better go," she stammered, looking quite bewildered at the turn of events. "I'm so sorry about this guys," she apologised to the others and looked up at Helo pleadingly. "Helo, let's go?" she asked him and the anger drained from his face immediately as he stared down into her distressed face.

"Yeah," he said gently. "I'm beat." He could never resist her when she turned her wide, pleading dark eyes onto him and after shooting one last angry look at Apollo, he walked out the door, putting his arm comfortingly around her shoulders despite her protestations that she was fine.

"What the frak was _she_ apologising for?" Starbuck demanded angrily. "Captain that was way out of line and you know it," Kara told him. Hot Dog and Kat just looked uncomfortable although they clearly shared Kara's outrage. The laughter and fun had faded from the air in a heartbeat and it was unsettling.

"She's a Cylon, Kara. You flushed one out the airlock, I didn't know you had such an attachment for them." Apollo said deliberately, trying to banish the expression on Helo's face as he looked down at Sharon's pleading eyes. Man he was so whipped.

Starbuck got to her feet. "It was the woman who keeps you on a leash like a lapdog who blatantly lied to his face, reneged on her word and put him out the airlock, _sir_. _I_ don't go back on my word." 

"Sorry guys, the moment's gone," she told the other two who nodded and looked very uncomfortable. "Later," she drawled and left.

* * *

"You ok?" Helo asked her much later when they lay in his quarters, tousled, sated and happily exhausted.

"Yeah ... I'm always ok around you," she told him happily.

"You look like a little puppy dog," when you do that he said and she pretended to look infuriated.

"You're calling me a dog....???"

"Puppy dog eyes. Cute as hell, I can deny you nothing when you turn those huge, dark eyes on me"

"Good to know," she told him, kissing him hungrily. "I'll file that away for future reference." Her hand closed around his hardness and he groaned as she caressed him sensually. "I owe you a few things for taking your lolly pops." she told him, her lips sliding down his body and her warm mouth closed over him.

"Gods," he moaned, arching up against her sweet sucking mouth as she took him deep into her mouth, licking and caressing him.

When he was on the brink of release, he pulled her away, sinking inside her. "You know I prefer to come inside you," he told her. "I want you with me when I come .... we don't fly solo, remember?" and she laughed and then groaned as her own climax overwhelmed her.

"Talking flight terms in bed... very dirty ... and kinda weird," she told him arching up against him. "Harder," she pleaded and he obliged, withdrawing and thrusting again. 

Later she lay comfortably limp in his arms and he kissed her temple, his hand coming to rest on her stomach which had just the slighest swell. "I hope we didn't make her dizzy."

"She's tough," Sharon reassured him. "I can't even begin to think of names."

"How about Shelo?" Helo joked and Sharon groaned. 

"Oh that's really bad, Helo." He kissed her again. "Sorry Apollo was being such an ass. I have no idea what got into him. He's normally a pretty decent CAG."

"I don't want to talk about him." Sharon said abruptly, repressing a shiver. "Don't bring it up with him, he was probably just having a bad day.... I don't want any more trouble. Let it go."

"He shouldn't say things like that."

"Please Helo .... for me?" she asked him. "No more battles for me." Helo rolled his eyes.

"God Sharon, that look again. You kill me. Fine have it your way."


	2. The Crime

"I'm sorry Sharon, it'll just be a few days and I'll be back before you know it." Helo said apologetically as Sharon helped him suit up for his mission.

"I know. It's your job, it's what you do. That or you're having a torrid affair with your pilot."

"Hey Dani's hot, but do you think I'd have the energy for another woman?" Helo laughed at the thought. She accompanied him to the hangar deck and she kissed him farewell and watched the Raptor take off and leave.

"So touching," Apollo drawled from two feet away. Her dark eyes widened and she turned away and started to walk quickly out the hangar deck.

"Where are you going in such a hurry, little Sharon? No briefing session today, your lover's flown away and you're at loose ends."

"I take it you haven't gone to see Doc Cottle yet given you're still as frakked in the head as you were before." she told him angrily and he laughed.

"There, I knew the spirit hadn't deserted you. There's something very refreshing and oddly sexy about the fact that you'd even dare to fight with someone who could put you out the airlock in a heartbeat."

Her eyes were dark and full of hate as she glared at him.

"But I've figured it out, Sharon. You've got no fear - _for yourself_. Hence the sexy, sassy mouthings and comebacks. But your lover .... Helo .... that's a different matter."

Sharon stared at him furiously. "That's right, no retorts now," he taunted her. "It's all right, I quite like it when you fight back, so at this point, your boy is still safe."

"What the _frak_ do you want, sir?" she hissed.

"Tonight - 8. Come to my quarters."

"Are you out of your frakking mind?" she demanded.

"I expect to see you there, Sharon," Apollo told her and walked away.

* * *

The doors slid open. 

"You're late," Apollo said mildly as Sharon stood in the corridor.

"I had to help Doc Cottle with a patient," she told him coldly. "Every time you flyboys go out to play, a few of you come back with banged up heads. Fortunately there's no brain to damage in the first place."

"Won't you come in," he invited her with exaggerated politeness.

The doors slid behind her and her heart began to pound fast when she saw him lock it. 

"So we won't be disturbed," he told her.

She stood in the middle of the room, very still and straight. He walked around her slowly, his gaze moving up and down her body, lingering on her impassive face, lingering on the pout of her full, soft mouth, the curve of her cheek. 

She shivered when she felt his fingers in her hair, loosening it from its ponytail so that her thick, black hair tumbled around her shoulders in a heavy cloud. His fingers tangled in her hair wonderingly, marvelling at how thick it was compared to his own. "Beautiful," he murmured, raising it to his lips.

She took a stumbling step forward as he twined her hair around his hand and pulled her closer towards him. His mouth covered hers and she felt his hands at her clothes, removing them, pulling her jacket from her shoulders, discarding the tshirt, unfastening her trousers.

"You can return the favour any time you're ready, Sharon," he told her huskily as he cupped her head in his mouth and began kissing her harder, demanding the response which she unwillingly gave to him, their tongues duelling, her body pressed against his as she removed his clothes with shaking hands.

Finally she stood completely naked before him, her unbound hair hiding nothing and his eyes widened as he drank in the sight of her slender beauty, his fingers tracing the curve of her breast, the line of her waist and hip. 

"Gods, Sharon. You're more beautiful than I realised," he told her in a husky voice, trailing kisses down her jaw and she whimpered slightly when his hands slid down her body, between her thighs.

"I know you hate me, but you're still hot," he whispered into her ear,"Hot ... and very wet...... do you always cream for men you hate?" he asked her insultingly.

"Do you always get a hard on for a machine?" she asked him and he laughed in genuine amusement.

"When that machine looks like you," he responded and smiled in satisfaction as a look of unwilling pleasure crossed her face as his long cool fingers slid deep inside her tight heat, caressing and fondling her slickness. "Nice that even a Cylon has a clitoris ... and it seems to work," he murmured as he deftly manipulated her sensitive flesh.

"We're designed to be anatomically correct, sir," she told him, her breathing a little ragged, her dark eyes filled with hatred.

When she climaxed, he held her as she staggered and with a strong, powerful motion he lifted her into his arms and carried her to his bed. 

His room was much larger than Helo's. Not surprising given his position as CAG and son of Adama. It was surprisingly stark with no domestic touches, nothing to indicate that anyone lived there. Sharon lay sprawled against his sheets, feeling very vulnerable in her nakedness.

Her eyes widened in shock when he walked away from the bed for a moment and he returned. His hands were at her throat and she felt a hum against her skin and then a click as the collar around her throat was removed and he placed it on the table near them.

"That's right Sharon, I have the key to unlock your dog collar," he told her as he slid between her thighs, his blue eyes dark with desire as he allowed his hands to roam all over her body, roam over her body as his eyes did, as his eyes always did.

"Your skin is so smooth," he marvelled, his mouth at her throat, kissing the flesh there. She tipped her head back to give him access, aware of what she was doing but unable to stop him as he kissed one sensitive spot after another, his mouth and his hands working in combination to arouse and tantalise her.

"Touch me back," he told her as she lay unmoving on the bed beneath him. "Put your hands on me," he ordered her and her hands slid over his leanly muscled body, caressing the smooth flesh and he shuddered in her arms as her skin on his aroused him even more.

When he finally entered her, they were both more than ready and her body arched up to take his as he thrust powerfully into her, thrusting as hard and deep as he could, filling her, demanding her response and seizing it whether she wanted to give it or not. Her arms and legs were wrapped around him as grunts of pleasure and visceral sensation escaped her parted lips.

Finally he slumped heavily on her, not even bothering to take the weight of his body on his arms and she could smell the scent of him on her, smell the clean masculine scent of his body as he licked her throat, kissed her lingeringly on the mouth with surprising gentleness.

"I know what's possessed Helo ..." he murmured. "Once you've had Cylon I guess you can't go back to the real thing."

Sharon flinched at the mention of Helo and she closed her eyes but could not stop the tear from trickling down her cheek. Apollo laughed softly, his lips going down to lick the salty drop from her smooth skin. "Don't cry, little Cylon. After such great sex, it seems a shame to cry ...."

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded, her dark brown eyes filled with bewilderment as she stared up at him. Her lips trembled uncontrollably and she looked heart-breakingly vulnerable and soft. "This isn't like you ...."

Apollo's face twisted sharply as he stared down at her. That look. It ripped at him, haunted him. She was unbelievably and almost impossibly alluring. It wasn't mere beauty, other women were more beautiful than Sharon Valerii, but there was a softness juxtaposed with passion and intelligence in that face. Those huge dark eyes could be drowned in by a man, and that mouth promised kisses, whispers and pleasure.

Her eyes widened in shock as he hardened again. "Yes Sharon, you have an ... effect on me that I can't explain it myself," he murmured harshly. His eyes were dark and filled with an unreadable emotion. "I don't know why either, but you're under my skin. You're all I can see, hear, feel and taste. You're haunting my dreams, even when I'm in my frakking Viper all I see is your eyes and the way your mouth curves just here when you smile."

"I'm a machine, Captain Adama .. spare parts for your Viper," she jibed him even as she groaned when he filled her damp heat once more, even as her mouth pleaded with him for more, even as her arms pulled him closer and she clung to him as they slaked their desires and lust in one another's bodies again and again and again.

* * *

Apollo drained the whiskey and swore as it burnt its way down his throat. He looked down at the bottle. His mind replayed the encounter in his quarters the night before. He had lost count of the number of times he had lost himself in that delectable, sexy and beautiful body. 

He had asked himself how Helo could act that way around a machine and he himself had gone and frakked the self-same machine. He could still hear the moans of Sharon's pleasure, her voice surrounding him, her dark eyes filled with a million different emotions. How could a machine have looked like that, felt like that, responded like that. He had never felt so alive..... He had never desired anyone so much, never felt so desired. She had got up after it all to dress. Slowly. Wordlessly, not looking at him. 

He had stayed in bed, watching her, his eyes lingering hotly on her bare flesh, the curve of her sweet derriere, the long line of her legs, the rosiness of her nipples .... He had suckled on those nipples, caressed them to hard peaks. Finally she had pulled her hair back in a ponytail from her expressionless face and she had waited for him silently.

He had risen to his feet and picked up the collar. It was heavy and accusing in his arms. Her eyes had met his squarely as he had clasped it around her slender neck again, his fingers hesitating slightly, lingering on her satin smooth flesh. He didn't want to put it back on her. Frak, he'd become a Cylon sympathiser. Just like that? Was it that easy? It was almost hard to meet her gaze it was so direct and unflinching but he did so, aware that she was probably seeing much more in his own eyes than he cared to give away.

To his horror, he had wanted to beg her to stay. "Stay with me tonight," he'd wanted to say. Instead, he had just lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers with such aching gentleness and longing that she had gasped in shock, stepping back from him abruptly, her eyes wide. 

She had left his quarters without saying a word but he knew that she had felt something, too.

"Lee what's wrong with you these days?" Starbuck demanded, sliding into the seat next to his and taking a swig from his glass without asking.

"Quit bugging me, Kara. There's nothing," he told her and she looked sceptical, her eyes raking over his face searchingly.

"You look tired. What were you up to last night?" she asked him curiously. "You didn't come down to the gym."

"I felt like a quiet night in, after you busting my chops all day on yesterday's flight I needed a break," he said with just the right degree of lightness.

"Lee, for your own good, stay away from Sharon. I know she gets under your skin."

Apollo stiffened but then relaxed as Starbuck continued. "I'm not saying you're going to snap and blow her head off now. I know you better than that - you're calmer now, but she ... well someone who looked like her did try to kill your father. I think you're unfair to her when she's trying, but I can understand why you feel the way you do."

"Do you now?" Apollo asked her, his face impassive.

"Yeah, and I hope that after a while you'll come to forgive her, like Adama has .... she's not a bad .... person. For a Cylon."

"For frak's sake, are you going soft on me?" Lee asked her with a laugh in his voice. 

"Yeah I'm a marshmallow, but I can still whip you at Pyramid so watch out." she told him. Apollo grinned. 

Starbuck was a friend and he loved her. There had in the past been moments of fleeting sexual attraction, but these were generated by the heat of the moment, adrenaline, relief .... Kara wasn't in his blood, under his skin, haunting his dreams the way Sharon did.

What the frak was the matter with him?

* * *

"Go and get that cut looked at you idiot. And next time don't be such a hotshot," Adama said, relief flooding his face as he stared into his son's cut and slightly bloody face.

"You're welcome," Lee told him sarcastically as he pulled off his helmet and walked to the infirmary. 

He stopped abruptly. Sharon was there. She didn't see him behind the observation window. She was standing by the side of one of the pilots who had been smashed up pretty badly in his last flight. Apollo watched silently, his eyes dark and wanting as Sharon smiled.

"Just changing your IV, Doc Cottle says you should be back on your feet in no time. They're doing a skin graft tomorrow and you should have minimal scarring." The kid on the bed smiled, looking frightened but his eyes were adoring. Lee could understand, waking up to a face like Sharon's must have been like thinking he'd seen an angel.

"Water ..." the kid rasped and Sharon nodded sympathetically and Apollo watched as she soaked a cloth with water and very carefully assisted the young pilot to drink a few drops at a time. It was a time-consuming process but she was patient and spoke lightly to him to pass the time, making jokes and being comforting.

"Are you going to stand here bleeding to death, Apollo?" Doc Cottle demanded impatiently. "Get in there before you bleed all over my floor." With a shock, Apollo realised that he hadn't even noticed the doctor coming up to him, so caught up by he was he in the sight of a laughing Sharon, a comforting Sharon, a Sharon whose hands were moving without revulsion over that horribly blistered and burnt skin.

"How can you trust a Cylon with the lives of our people?" Apollo asked him curiously and Cottle shot him a look of disdain.

"She's not squeamish, she's hard-working, picks things up in a flash and has compassion for the injured. Someone needs to patch you flyboys back together when you're out there beating yourselves up. Cylon or not, she's got the makings of a fine doctor, I swear she could probably even perform open heart surgery after assisting once."

"So she got to you, too," Apollo commented grimly and Cottle shoved at him in disgust. 

"Sharon, can you patch up this worthless jet jockey. Ignore his smart-ass mouthings, fix him up and him the hell out of here. Make it hurt if you can. I've got to go and see to that idiot Baltar. God knows what he's babbling about this time."

Sharon laughed, turned with a smile on her face which faded in an instant when she saw who was in the room. Her eyes went to the injury on his face and there was a flicker of something which might have been concern in her eyes. He looked more boyish than usual with his brown hair damp and tousled from his helmet, his clear blue eyes very steady, slight stubble on his jaw.

"Go in there and sit down," she said indicating an examining room. "I'll be with you in a moment." she told him curtly and walked away. 

Apollo sat on the examination bed, waiting and she came back in the room carrying a suturing tray, needles and suturing thread. She set them down beside him.

"Close the door, Sharon," he said quietly.

"Nothing's going to happen, you're bleeding profusely and I have weapons," she told him indicating the scissors and needle.

"Then you have nothing to fear. Shut the door and lock it." he told her.

She rolled her eyes and did as he asked. 

"Afraid people will see you crying, Captain Adama?" she mocked him.

"Exactly," he told her. "You know me so well. I'm like an open book."

He watched as she washed her hands thoroughly at the basin, soaping her skin thoroughly before pulling the gloves on. She came to stand before him, his eyes didn't move from hers and she examined the wound with surprisingly gentle fingers.

"Any blurred vision."

"I can see you just fine," he said provocatively.

"How did it happen, did your Viper turn around and attack you? I tried to use my Cylon telepathy to sic it on you but I wasn't sure it heard," she said coolly.

"Funny." he said with a short laugh. "No, I was hit as I was escaping after blasting one of your bases."

"How nice for you," she said. "Did you hit your head?"

"Yeah." 

She tested his reactions and reflexes. "Well everything's in order, although I'm afraid to say you're still a stupid jackass." she told him insultingly.

"Mouthy. What's wrong, are you going through withdrawal, Sharon?" he taunted her. 

The reality was, he was the one going through withdrawal. It had been several weeks since that mindshattering encounter and his body had craved her ever since. Seeing her with Helo, seeing her everywhere had been almost unbearable. His eyes were very dark as they stared at her mouth longingly.

Sharon's mouth tightened in response. Try as she might to forget, she could not forget what it had been like to be with Apollo, to be so completely and utterly possessed by him. Who would have known that he had such an overwhelming intensity and passion inside him.

"This is going to hurt," she warned him and he hissed and swore as she used antiseptic to clean the wound.

"You frakking did that on purpose!" he said accusingly, scowling at the pain.

"Don't be a baby, I warned you," she told him, washing the wound clean and examining it. "It's deep but shouldn't scar too badly .... you'll still be the same pretty boy," she told him.

"Never as pretty as you," he said before he could stop himself and Sharon looked taken aback for a moment, her brown eyes widened. Her hands fortunately were steady as she reached for the thread and the needle. She had given him a local anaesthetic and she stitched up the gash on his forehead with steady hands.

She was close to him, he could see her dark lashes as they fluttered with each blink, could study the gentle curve of her mouth, the way her lips pouted just slightly, the way they pressed together in concentration. His eyes traced the curve of her cheek.

"Will you quit staring at me like that. It's unsettling."

"Unsettling. Now that's an understatement," he said, musing over the inadequacy of the word.

"We're done," she said, putting the tray down, pulling off the gloves and going to wash her hands. She came back and checked her suturing, appearing to be pleased with the neatness of the stitches. "You have to keep them in for at least a week. Keep them dry, don't scratch them if they itch and come back to have them removed."

He caught her by the wrist and pulled her so that she stood between his thighs.

"Done? You and I wll never be done," he told her. "Don't you know that?" He lowered his head to kiss her. She shuddered in his arms, her own arms going to slide around his neck. He bit on her lower lip, tasted her and lingered over her softness, savouring the feel of her. She kissed him back without being prompted, her lips parting willingly, tasting him back and clinging to him despite herself.

"No, not here," she protested half-heartedly, her voice thick.

"Yes, here," he said in a fierce undertone, backing her against the wall, unfastening her trousers and unzipping his own flight suit. His arms rippled with the effort of lifting up against him, shoving her back against the wall as he plunged into her tight, hot body. She was ready for him despite her protests, pulling him deeper and deeper, her body tightening around him as they thrust together, thrust against one another, give and take, push and pull, each slide making them gasp and groan, mouths devouring one another as her head flung back, groans escaping her lips.

When he finally slid out of her, he held her limp body in his arms, gentle and tender until strength returned to her legs. He kissed her cheek, his tongue tasting the saltiness of her skin and he kissed her once more before doing up his flight suit again. She avoided his gaze, her dark eyes looking haunted and confused.

If she'd looked at him, she might have seen the same expression in his eyes as he watched her leave.


	3. Punishment

"Did you see me? I was so good, I was so good I wanted to cry," Starbuck crowed and Lee rolled his eyes.

"You weren't that good," Lee said laughing at Kara's kidding. She'd managed to take out four raiders in swift succession and she had been crowing about it ever since given that Apollo had only bagged 2.

"Man, such sour grapes," Starbuck mourned with a complete lack of sympathy.

Both of them looked at each other when they heard someone saying: "Play nice you frakking Cylon bitch," and then the sound of a hand on flesh.

Both of then ran around the corner simultaneously, sidearms drawn. In the deserted corridor, Sharon was slumped to the ground, her jacket was ripped open to expose a torn tshirt and bare flesh. Her eye was swelling shut and her mouth was bleeding. She had done some damage herself though. The deck hand in front of her had a black eye and a broken nose. The reason he wasn't dead was obvious, his buddy stood behind him a gun trained on Sharon's head to make sure she didn't fight back again.

That's when Lee realised that Sharon was crying. Silently, violent sobs that shook her body, tears sliding down her cheeks and a silent scream seemed to fill the room.

A blind rage, hotter and more uncontrollable than he had ever experienced in his life poured over Lee and threatened to consume him.

"Drop the gun now and put your hands in the air," Starbuck called out furiously. "Lee what the frak are you _doing_?" Kara demanded as Lee dropped his own weapon, slugged the guy with the gun and started attacking the man who had hit Sharon, hitting him over and over again even though he was barely able to fight back.

"Stop it!" Sharon screamed, snapping herself out of her stupor and pulling him off her attacker even though she could barely see out of her eye. 

"Gods, Lee, are you out of your mind?" Starbuck yelled. She cuffed both of the would be rapists. "I'll take these two to the brig before you kill them. You get Sharon to the infirmary _now_ ," she told him.

Lee was breathing heavily, staring down into Sharon's battered face, staring at her torn clothing, an almost blinding fury rising up within him.

He wiped the tears and the blood away from her face and he pulled off his own jacket and draped it about her shoulders, covering up her exposed skin.

"Can you stand?" he asked Sharon and she nodded, rising to her feet. The creep had punched her and then backhanded her once. She knew how to take a punch though, she knew how to take a beating. The dilemma had been the gun trained on her. She might have been able to disarm them but that would have meant killing them and there was no way anyone would take the word of a Cylon who had killed. Self-defence didn't apply to Cylons.

He put his arm around her shoulders and started to help her to the infirmary. She was almost rigid in his arms though, her breathing shallow, almost as if she was going into shock. He stared down at her in shocked panic. In the end, he gave up and just picked her up in his arms and carried her there.

"What the hell?" Doc Cottle demanded in horror when Apollo strode in carrying Sharon.

"I'm fine, just a bit woozy," she told him calmly, a very strange expression on her face. 

"Two assholes tried to rape her - at gunpoint."

Cottle flinched, his eyes shooting to Sharon and narrowing in comprehension. Cottle examined Sharon's face. "Nothing's broken .... you are going to have a hell of a black eye little lady," he said sympathetically.

Lee's breathing was returning to normal. The sight of Sharon's bruised and battered face was playing hell with his emotions.

Cottle opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again. It was not his place.

Sharon didn't look at either of them, she pulled the sheet over her and faced the wall.

"I'm fine," she repeated stubbornly, wondering how the hell she was going to explain this to Helo. Tears slid down her face and Apollo stared in shock as she bit back a sobbing gasp. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me." she whispered and Cottle indicated that he should leave.

* * *

"Starbuck, you've got to tell me what the hell happened. Sharon gave me some frakking story about walking into a door and she won't back down!" Helo said furiously, confronting his friend in her quarters.

Starbuck grimaced. "She couldn't come up with a better one than that? How about sparring with me?"

"Cut the crap Kara - tell me what happened."

Kara shook her head. "Look, Lee and I found these two crew hands ... they were trying to rape her. At gun point."

"What?"

Starbuck nodded. "Yeah, animals. You're not going to like this Helo but the law doesn't provide for attempted ... rape of a Cylon ... or assault ... on a Cylon. Their lawyers got them off." Starbuck held up her hand.

"Look it sucks, I know. Lee went absolutely ballistic, he's arranged for them to be transferred off Galactica and assigned to some crappy mining post somewhere ... their lives are going to be hell, believe me."

"You expect me to accept that?"

"Look I know it's not great, but Lee did his best and if you want to know the truth, when we found those guys, Lee went to town on the guy who laid his hands on Sharon. Almost beat him unconscious. I guess he just doesn't like it when women get beaten .. even Cylon ones."

"Tell me who they are."

"No. Sharon doesn't want you to know. She says you've fought enough battles for her. Face it Helo - Sharon told me about what happened with that asshole from the Pegasus .... you can't do this. Adama can't fix things again."

"Who else knows about that?" Helo demanded tersely. 

Starbuck shook her head. "Just me ..... of course Sharon told me .... Helo listen to me."

"Starbuck, you're my friend, tell me."

"The thing is," Starbuck said with a faint smile. "I'm Sharon's friend, too .... and unless you want to tell me that a promise made to a Cylon doesn't count, then I'm honour-bound by my promise not to tell you."

Helo made a sound of frustration his eyes furious but Starbuck's rueful, determined smile told him that he wasn't going to get anything out of her.

"Women." he said in disgust and walked out the door in search of Apollo.

Apollo was writing reports when Helo walked in. "Helo," he said calmly, his face not betraying any emotion.

"I come back to find Sharon with a black eye and a cut lip and a story about walking into a door. Starbuck tells me she was attacked and two guys attempted to rape her but won't tell me who the guys are. Help me out, Apollo." Helo said pleadingly.

"Helo, Starbuck would have told you that the protection of our laws doesn't extend to .... Sharon." He looked genuinely regretful, a muscle throbbing in his jaw as he tried to keep his voice even. He had completely lost his cool when he'd been told as well. 

"She's a machine, our laws do not protect a machine. We could cut off her head and harvest her organs - that would be fine," the lawyer told him. Starbuck had pulled him back when he'd almost attacked the lawyer although he'd done the same thing for her when the two men had given their evidence.

"Apollo .... you don't know how frakked up this is ..... she's up here because of me .... her life is completely ruined because of me. People treating her badly and now this ... and it makes me feel helpless to realise I can't protect her all the time. Do you know how she looks right now? She keeps smiling and trying to cheer me up but she's got a frakking black eye and her face is all battered and bruised. And she's trying to cheer _me_ up." his voice sounded tortured and Apollo flinched at the raw emotion in the other man's voice.

He knew why Sharon loved this man so much. He was kind, he was loving and he was just. He saw the world clearly through impartial eyes and he would lay down his life without question for the woman he loved.

"Helo, I'm really sorry. I can't help you here. Those men ... those animals, didn't get what was coming to them but I swear to you that I have had them reassigned to the worst frakking place in the whole Colonial fleet. They will regret the day they laid a hand on her, I swear." Apollo told him.

"Let me know who they are. Starbuck won't tell me. She says Sharon made her promise."

"Yeah I was there. I was kind of roped into the promise, too. Sharon can be kind of persuasive at times." Apollo said, slanting a rueful smile at Helo who laughed despite himself.

"Yeah don't I know it. Those eyes of hers."

Apollo tried not to flinch. Those eyes. 

He'd been there all right, and both he and Starbuck had promised that they wouldn't say anything.

"If you tell him, he will go and kill them and then the father of my child will be executed or imprisoned. No. No. No." she had said calmly, her face pale, a startling contrast to the livid bruises on her face.

He and Kara had had no choice but to promise.

"Apollo. This isn't the first time this has happened. This isn't the first time ...." his voice broke as he told Apollo what had happened and Apollo looked as if he had been punched. A dozen emotions flitted across his face. Horror, shock, self-loathing. At the end .... all he felt was nausea. Fortunately for him, Helo interpreteted the expression as disgust for the behaviour of Thorn.

"You see why you have to tell me?"

Apollo gripped the table, his knuckles white. He swallowed hard. His voice wasn't quite steady as he spoke. 

"I see exactly why I can't tell you, Helo. Sharon doesn't want you to do anything. To be hurt. To be taken away. If you want to protect her - you'll ... stay by her side." 

Apollo's words were very abrupt and short, almost as if he was having a hard time breathing. He could feel the self-hatred rising up within him like a hot wave. 

Gods, as if he didn't have enough crimes to damn his soul to hell forever.

* * *

The Cylon attack was sudden, brutal and devastating. It wasn't the first time they had been boarded by Cylons, but this time there were more of them and the aftermath was even more devastating than the first time. No one knew what had happened, how they had boarded, and before they knew it, they had been ambushed.

Sharon had absolutely refused to hide in safety with the other civilians and had demanded a gun so that could do her part. Helo and Apollo had done their damndest to talk her out of it but as usual Starbuck had stuck up for her friend.

"Let her do it you patronising assholes. She could kick both of your asses in a fight. We need everyone we can get - we lost five marines today." In the end, the circumstances had given them no choice but to agree. Sharon had acquitted herself well, showing a fearlessness that impressed Starbuck and terrified Helo and Apollo.

The final fire fight had been violent, terrifying and fierce. The casualties had been horrific. 

It had moved in slow motion. When Helo had seen the Cylon aiming at Sharon, he had thrown her to the ground, taking the gunfire himself and Sharon's screams of anguish had been almost unearthly.

"I love you," Helo had managed to whisper to her before he had died in her arms.

Sharon had stared in complete shock, completely unable to believe or accept what had happened. This was not supposed to happen. Her eyes turned black with rage and anyone who looked into her face would have shivered with fear.

She picked up the gun from her fallen love and headed straight back into the fight with an almost insane ferocity that made Lee and Starbuck stare before continuing their own battles. She took down three centurions before merciful pain wracked her body and the death she craved approached her lovingly, stroking her with comforting hands.

"Sharon's down!" Starbuck yelled as she took on the final centurion. Apollo turned and stared in horror, a scream in his throat as he ran down the corridor to where Sharon was slumped on the ground, bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound.

"Sharon ... stay with me, Sharon _open_ your eyes ...." Apollo pleaded as he tried desperately to staunch the wound.

"Let me die, sir .. if you feel _anything_ for me ... please let me die ..." she whispered to him pleadingly as her hot blood ran over his fingers, staining them red.

"No, you stay with me. You do not frakking die," he told her fiercely.

"I want to be with Helo .... he wasn't supposed to leave me .... we were going to be together always ....." she whispered, her eyes clouded with a pain that was as emotional as it was physical. "I'm nothing without him ....."

"No," he told her fiercely, staunching the bleeding and running with her down the corridor.


	4. Retribution

"She's lost the baby. The gunshot wound caused considerable blood loss. Her body couldn't cope with the shock." Doc Cottle looked overcome with grief himself. The attack had been horrifying for anyone who had seen the aftermath. Seeing the grief that wracked Sharon also hurt him deeply.

"They want to take the fetus away for examination - it's tiny but it's almost perfectly formed. But Gods Apollo, she should at least have some time alone with the child before we cut it to pieces."

"Yes." Apollo said fiercely. "No one takes it away before she has seen it.

Apollo stood by Sharon's bed. Both he and Starbuck took turns maintaining watch by her bed. Talking to her, coaxing her to open her eyes. She hadn't.

She was very still, very pale and almost transparent. Her chest rose and fell. He had been told that physically she had stabilised, the bleeding had been stopped. 

Doc Cottle had also haunted her bedside, showing a softness and compassion that he ordinarily did not betray before others. "Yes I know she's a machine, but she's the best damned assistant I've ever had. Full of sauce .... but a real natural at the job ...." he said, touching the young woman's cheek with a gentle hand.

"But she doesn't want to live," Doc Cottle had told Apollo sadly. "I know it sounds crazy, but we all know about the human mind .... the Cylons appear to have something similar. She's lost Agathon, she's lost the baby. She wants to die. I don't know whether Cylons can also will themselves to death - but she seems to be trying ...."

Apollo stayed at her bedside for an age.

"Sharon .... you have to live," Lee said, touching her forehead gently. "Helo would want you to live .... damnit ... _I_ want you to live ... don't give up like this. It's weak and _cowardly_ .... you can't just give up. You have to say goodbye to Helo, you have to say goodbye to your baby ...you haven't seen her yet .... she's a beautiful little girl .... as beautiful as her mother ... they're both waiting for you. Come on fight this, get angry, take revenge ... make the Cylons pay .... frakking take revenge on _me_ for what I did ..... just don't roll over and die."

Sharon opened her eyes and stared at him. "I'm awake. It's a bit hard to get any rest with you hanging around here all the time," she told him in a slightly scratchy voice. 

He laughed, a shaken laugh that was filled with relief. "I knew you coudn't resist coming back with one of your smartass comebacks." 

"You look awful." she commented, looking at his red eyes, tousled hair and stubbled jaw.

"You're not looking so hot yourself," he commented.

She stared at him. "You know my baby ...."

"I know Sharon. Doc Cottle told me. I'm so sorry....." he whispered, smoothing the hair from her face which contorted with grief.

"Can I see her?"

He helped her sit up.

"Doc, she's ready now."

The doctor brought in a small bundle, a little pink blanket and put it in Sharon's arms. Sharon looked down at the tiny almost perfectly formed baby, curved in on itself protectively and slow, silent tears ran down her cheeks. Lee put a fist to his mouth to prevent himself making a sound but his eyes were stinging. Starbuck had walked in at that moment and when she saw what was happening, her face crumpled and she began to cry openly.

"Gods .." Starbuck muttered, staring in horror at Lee who looked equally lost.

"Caprica. Her name is Caprica." Sharon said, looking up with a sad smile that curved her pale mouth. "Isn't she beautiful? Caprica ... meet your Auntie Starbuck .... if you'd lived, she would have taught you how to fly a Viper so that you could fight your daddy's murderers ..... I wouldn't have let her teach you how to smoke cigars though.... maybe just play cards ..."

"So that she could beat her mommy at cards the way I do," Starbuck said, swallowing hard leaning over to touch her fingertip to the tiny creature. "You would have rocked, little Caprica. A baby Boomer would have been something to behold," she said with a smile. "Yes indeed."

* * *

"Whatever you want to do, do it quick and do it .... carefully. Sharon wants Caprica burned with Helo." Apollo said tersely.

"Caprica?" Doc Cottle asked, looking at him in confusion. 

"Sharon named her daughter Caprica." Apollo said, looking harassed. Starbuck looked confused, looking back and forth until horrified comprehension flooded her face.

"No, no way. You're not cutting Caprica up into little pieces."

"Starbuck, I know what you think but we have no choice. This is our only opportunity to get our hands on this kind of data and information." Starbuck looked at Apollo who nodded silently.

"Data and information? You want to slice up my niece?" Starbuck demanded, looking furious.

Apollo put a restraining hand on her arm and Cottle sighed. "Look, I'll be quick and as respectful as I can. I'm fond of Sharon, too. You know that. No one else touches the baby except me. She'll be ready for burial with Helo tomorrow." He walked away, looking as if he had aged 10 years in one night.

"Auntie, huh?" Apollo asked her, with a wry smile.

Kara's face was still tear-stained. "You heard her, Auntie Starbuck. It has a certain ring, you gotta admit, and the fleet needed a few more kickass females around ..." Her hand went to her mouth and she cried uncontrollably, for the loss of a niece she'd never had, for Helo and for the broken girl in the room next door.

Apollo held his friend while she cried, kissing the top of her head. Unshed tears burnt in his eyes and he wondered why the Gods who hadn't chosen to kill him instead of a good man. He who had so much bloodshed on his hands.

* * *

In the months that followed, Lee didn't touch her. He couldn't. It wasn't that he didn't want to. He craved it, but at some point, the raw lust and hatred had transformed into love and he couldn't go back to the way things were before.

He and Starbuck had flanked Sharon at the funeral. The service had been quiet, grieving. She hadn't wept although she was still very pale and weak. 

To Lee's shock, as she healed, Sharon began joining him and Starbuck in the gym, sparring with them, training with them. She frequently went jogging with Kara around the decks. The sight of Sharon in sweats made Lee want to pick her up and carry her to his quarters - but he didn't. Everything was different now. He was different now.

The months went by and the colour returned to Sharon's face. She smiled again, even laughed. Lee had no idea when he had fallen in love with her. It seemed to him that he had always loved her, although he knew that wasn't true... There was a time he had hated her, despised her. Thought of her as a thing and not a person. He didn't know that love crept on you unawares and left you breathless and helpless.

The loss of Helo and her child had in some strange way convinced Galactica crew of her allegiences, that she was one of them again and she had been accepted back. To Lee's relief, she spurned all suitors, having no interest in any of them.

"I know you like her, why don't you do something about it?" Starbuck teased him one day when they were returning from a flight.

"I can't." Lee said abruptly. Starbuck looked at him quizzically.

"She'll never get over Helo - but I don't see her staying on her own for the rest of her life. You like her, it's so obvious to me. Why don't you do something about it."

"You really want to know, Starbuck?" Lee asked her. 

And he told her.

The punch took him by surprise. "Frak."

"You frakking asshole. That's blackmail ... that's frakking _rape_. How could you do that, are you some kind of animal?" Starbuck demanded furiously, approaching him.

Apollo flinched as if she had punched him again. His eyes were raw and defenceless, acknowledging his own culpability.

"Hit away Kara. I'm guilty as charged. I know it's unforgiveable. I could almost believe that Sharon of all people has forgiven me, but I can never forgive myself."

Starbuck's hands dropped away. "I'm not going to hit you. I don't want to touch you. I'm ashamed that I considered you a friend." she said in disgust and walked away.

Lee watched her walk away, a bitter taste in his mouth.

* * *

"Frak off." 

Sharon's mouth curved into a smile.

"You're always so rude."

She walked into Starbuck's room and Starbuck looked up and grinned. "Look who's talking. Despite that sweet little face you could get pretty rude yourself."

"You didn't show up for our run today," Sharon said, sitting on a nearby chair. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was in her sweats, ready for a run. "Are you sick of me beating you?"

"Hello you kind of have the advantage, robogirl," Starbuck told her and Sharon laughed.

"Never stopped you before," Sharon pointed out. "What's with everyone today? I saw Captain Adama sporting a massive bruise on his jaw, rumour has it that you slogged him. He criticise your flying again?" Sharon teased her.

"Don't joke about it, Sharon." Starbuck told her, the laughter fading from her face. "He told me what he did to you."

The colour drained from Sharon's face and her laughter faded as well.

"Kara..... I...."

"No, you don't have to explain anything. I'm sorry for everything. The law didn't protect you from those two frakked up creeps who tried to rape you and I had no idea one of my best friends was raping you."

Sharon's hands covered her mouth and she closed her eyes for a moment before speaking. "Kara, for god's sake don't blame yourself. You're not the protector of all womanhood. What happened was .... wrong ..." She blinked for a few seconds to try to re-gather her thoughts. "But it's complicated ... I didn't want to say no to him anyway .... I loved Helo... I love Helo .... but I was definitely sexually attracted to ...."

"That doesn't mean he should have threatened to harm ..."

"Kara. It's so complicated and frakked up. I can't explain it .... I wanted him, too..... I feel as culpable as .."

"That's just the victim blaming herself for the crime. Sharon please don't tell me that you're not only going to forgive him for something unforgiveable but that you've fallen for your rapist." Starbuck looked shocked.

Sharon touched Starbuck's cheek. The other girl was older but sometimes it seemed like she was the baby. "Kara .... since the attack there have been so many unforgiveable crimes. Things we've done that we regret ... things we've gone through the change us and play with our minds. On Caprica, I lied to Helo and made him think I was someone else ... he forgave me. He shot me, I forgave him."

"I tried to shoot you twice and you forgave me?" Starbuck said trying to smile.

"Why do you think I beat you to a pulp everytime we get in the boxing ring?" Sharon teased her.

"I let you do that to make you feel better," Starbuck told her.

"Someone who looked a lot like me tried to kill Adama .... Apollo was pretty screwed up over that, then he was away from his father so long - treason, breaking of loyalty. I think it affected him."

"Don't make excuses for him - remember, he didn't even consider you a person. To him you were a thing. I heard him talking to me about how it disgusted him that Helo loved you ..."

"I'm not making excuses ... he told me that himself, too actually. I'm just saying that when we got back from Kobol, I really don't think he was himself. Think about it Kara, the Lee Adama you know wouldn't have done that..."

"No he wouldn't." Kara said, looking haunted.

"Kara - if I had _really_ thought that he would hurt Helo - I would have killed him. Consequences be damned. I think you know that."

Starbuck stared at her. "Yeah..... I do." She looked at her wonderingly. Starbuck thought about unforgiveable crimes. Leoben. The Olympic Carrier. Leaving Anders behind. Blowing up a Farm full of comatose women .....

"Kara if it wasn't for you and Apollo, I wouldn't still be alive. You two are the ones who have have kept me alive ... seen me through the worst period of my life .... I know it was Apollo who made them return Caprica to me for burial .... "

"Yeah, he did that." Starbuck admitted. "He also wouldn't tell Helo where those assholes who tried to rape you were. That would have been an easy way to get Helo out of the way - send him to his death or certain imprisonment for murder."

"Sometimes we all do unforgiveable things, Kara. I'm not saying that we should forgive ... but in the world we're living in today, it's hard to have concepts of black and white morality. My world became shades of grey a long time ago and I'm one of the last people in the position to judge another."

"I can't believe I'm getting morality lessons from a frakking toaster."

"Yeah it's a bit weird." Sharon admitted. The two women embraced. "I love you Kara - you came through for me. I know at first it was for Helo, but your friendship is real now and I am more grateful than you could ever know."

To the horror of both of them, Starbuck's eyes filled with tears. "Frakking son of a .... don't you dare make me cry. Well you're all right yourself."

"For a Cylon chick?" Sharon questioned with a smile.

"You got it." Starbuck said with her huge grin that lit up her whole face. They hugged again before Sharon got up.

"So. Ready to be demoralised, defeated humiliated again, Thrace?"

"Oh you're a cocky little bitch," Starbuck said with a laugh and the two of them jogged through the corridor. They were a familiar sight and called out greetings and answered greetings. Starbuck was the mouthier and attracted a lot of good-humoured teasing. People still weren't quite sure entirely how to handle Sharon but she got her fair share of jokes.

They passed Apollo on his way to the gym and he stopped abruptly, not knowing which way to look.

Sharon stopped and said casually. "Wanna join us, captain?" Apollo hesitated, glancing at Starbuck who did not stop but jogged lightly on the spot. A muscle moved in her jaw and then she shrugged.

"Yeah why not - unless you're afraid to have two chicks whip your ass."

Apollo exhaled and let out a brief laugh, falling into step beside them as they ran down the corridor. The words "frak you" could be heard drifting after them.


	5. Forgiveness

Apollo landed his Viper in the hangar bay. 

"Nice flight, captain," Tyrol said as Apollo clambered out of the cockpit.

"Thanks," Apollo said distractedly. The patrol had been without incident but his thoughts were completely focussed on what had taken place earlier in the day. 

The day after he had gone for a run with the two women and parted on friendly if slightly awkward terms, he had encountered Sharon in the gym on her own punching the punching bag, kicking at it with her slim but powerful legs. She was gleaming with perspiration but her body looked taut and athletic, slim and supple. She was fully recovered from her injuries. She had never seemed more beautiful and desirable to him and when she saw him watching, she paused and looked at him. Her hair was in a ponytail, her dark eyes were bright with exertion.

He loved her. Surely he had always felt like this. "You flew with me that day." He mused.

She turned and slanted him a look. He looked .... gorgeous as ever, standing regarding her with a wary expression on his face.

"And you're just remembering that now? That wasn't me ...," she reminded him. Then she smiled. "....but I remember," she said with a smile.

> "Viper 7242, Raptor 312, This is Boomer, just wanted to say it was an honour to fly with you Apollo".
> 
> "Copy that, Boomer. The feeling is mutual. You heading back to Caprica?"
> 
> "Yes sir. Back to Caprica and reassignment."
> 
> "Hope our paths meet up again someday, Boomer."
> 
> "Copy that, sir."

His mouth curved into a faint smile in response and she looked at him. "Why don't you put on some gloves," she said indicating the ring with her chin.

"I don't think that would be a good ..." he started to refuse.

"Scared?" she taunted him and he rolled his eyes insultingly.

"I have a problem hitting women." he said and she laughed at him.

"So I'll hit you. Or are you too yellow to take on a Cylon?" she challenged.

"Fine," he said in resignation, pulling on a pair of gloves. 

He punched at her half-heartedly. She knew he could do better than that. He was one of the best boxers in the fleet, his powerful arm muscles were a testament to that.

"Oh come on," she said provocatively, her arm shooting out and snapping his head back. He winced and then jabbed at her with a bit more effort this time and she evaded him easily.

"Thank for whatever you said to Kara..... it means a lot and .... you didn't have to do it."

She hit him twice more and then shook her head. "You suck."

He laughed despite himself and his fist shot out unexpectedly, clipping her on the jaw and knocking her onto her back where she lay for a moment blinking up at the ceiling with bemused surprise that he'd managed to surprise her.

"OK, now _that_ wasn't too shabby," she commented, moving her jaw experimentally.

"Oh frak!" he exclaimed, pulling off his gloves and crouching down beside her, touching her jaw. "Are you ok? Did you hit your head when you fell?"

She was laughing. "I'm fine. Starbuck hits a lot harder than that."

He ran his finger down her jaw again, lingeringly and wonderingly. She didn't move but her dark eyes didn't tell him to stop. He drew her back up to her feet. He hesitated and then he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her gently, giving her the opportunity to draw back if she wanted to. Her lips parted beneath his, her mouth opened and the kiss was long and slow, lingering and heated. When he drew back, their breathing was uneven. His hands went down to her wrists and he lifted them up so that she could unlace her boxing gloves. 

He looked down at her face and saw that she was watching him a slight smile on her face. He tossed the gloves aside, raised one hand to his lips and then the other, a question in his blue eyes. 

He wondered how there could have been a time that he hated her, despised her, thought of her with contempt. It seemed that for as long as he could remember, she was the bravest, most beautiful and intoxicatingly alluring woman of his acquaintance.

Her hands were trembling in his and he lowered his lips to her cheek, his lips trailing along her skin. Her eyes were closed and her body was trembling now. Her hands went up to his strong shoulders and their mouths met again, hungrily, awkwardly, hesitantly and her arms twined about his neck, pulling him closer. A deep groan came from his throat as he deepened the kiss, his tongue duelling with hers.

She pulled back after a few moments, breathing ragged and eyes a little dazed. "I'd better go," she said in a very breathless voice, her mouth still damp from his kiss.

"I guess I get to clean up the gloves then," he said with a wry smile.

"Thanks." she told him and disappeared from the gym really quickly, not looking back at him. Apollo had taken several deep breaths and had gone for a cold shower.

In the days that followed, things returned to an almost normal footing between him and Starbuck. Sharon often joined them for a drink, for cards but he never saw her alone. The three played cards, beat one another, beat the others, joked around and talked about most topics with unrestrained irreverence.

Apollo finally gave up and asked Starbuck.

"Does she ever ... _talk_ about me?" 

"No." Starbuck told him flatly and grinned at the crestfallen expression on his face. "Man you are so whipped ... I still remember when .."

"All right, I know, I know." he told her curtly. "No need to remind me."

Starbuck grinned. "I know she's being sent to the prison ship to treat a few of the prisoners."

"What? Why can't they send Cottle?" Apollo demanded.

"Cottle's too precious, what if he gets injured or killed? He's the only fully qualified doctor, but apparently since Sharon's pretty much mastered the basic medic training, they're sending her. She's ... more dispensable. I think they're sending a guard with her for protection - a captain acting as a bodyguard is probably a little excessive but I'm sure you could arrange for a swap."

"Since when do you play matchmaker?" Apollo asked suspiciously.

"I'm sick of seeing you moping," she said bluntly and as she walked off, Apollo stood there on his own, trying to stop the emotions of relief and joy from washing over him.

Sharon walked into the hangar with her medical kit, looking around for the raptor that was to take her to the prison ship. 

"It's this one," Apollo told her and Sharon turned and stared at him quizzically. "I'll be your guard and escort for the day," he told her, indicating his gun.

"They told me that they had a corporal assigned to me," she told him. 

"The corporal was busy, he asked if I could swap," Apollo told her and her lips twitched. 

"I see." 

His blue eyes looked at her innocently.

They boarded the plane and were seated side by side. "How have you been?"

"Since I beat you at cards yesterday? Fine." she said with a smile.

"It wasn't by much." He temporised.

"I've been all right. It's been busy. There's kind of a flu epidemic going around ... spate of food poisoning. How about you?"

"Good." he said, his eyes not moving from her face. Her hair was in its usual loose ponytail and she wore a severe-looking black flight suit, masculine in cut.

She looked away, feeling her skin flush slightly under his steady gaze. "Sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?" he asked her and she shook her head.

"No."

He outlined the procedure to her, he would enter the cells with her, the prisoners would remain cuffed unless absolutely necessary and he would have a gun trained on the prisoner at all times.

"I'll be fine, sir," she told him.

"Sometimes you forget and still salute me."

"It's kind of ingrained you know," she said with a wry smile.

"I guess." 

At the prison ship, the heavy gates slid open. It wasn't the first time Lee had been there, the dark gloom was oppressive, the cells were small and the men in the cells were the regulation red overalls, their faces hostile and watchful.

"Well look who we've got to visit us, a pretty little lady." Salacious and suggestive comments were made but Apollo chose not to react yet given that Sharon was coolly ignoring them.

The first patient was a prisoner who had got into a fight with another. He had suffered a severe concussion and was partially unconscious. Sharon worked swiftly and carefully, treating him as if he was any other patient. Sharon ignored the insults and the whistles of appreciation.

The first dozen patients were treated without incident. Severe cuts, bruises, a couple of cases of food poisoning. Apollo stood by, ready to intervene if required.

"I'm fine, just relax," Sharon told him, grimacing at him reprovingly.

"Yeah, surrounded by hardened criminals," he said grimly.

"And how can I help you?" Sharon asked, entering the cell of a particularly burly prisoner. The warden had warned them. Convicted for the rape and murder of three women on Caprica he was particularly dangerous.

"Well just having you here is a help." he said. "I've got a bit of a rash. Down there," he said with a smug smile on his brutish face.

Sharon didn't flinch. She merely pulled on a fresh pair of gloves. She crouched down beside him to examine him when he moved sharply and yanked her in front of him, a makeshift knife to her throat.

"Captain, give me your gun or this pretty little lady is going to bleed," the prisoner said angrily. The knife was pressed against Sharon's throat.

"Captain, please don't shoot him," Sharon told Apollo who stared at her.

"Of course I'm going to frakking shoot him."

"I can handle him," she said and before Apollo's eyes she seized the knife, jerked it away, flipped the prisoner and he howled as his arm broke.

"Please hold him down while I treat his broken arm," Sharon said calmly.

"Next you'll say you don't even need a guard," Apollo told her, a little shaken as they returned to the Raptor. "Are you ok?" he asked, indicating the slight scratch on her throat.

"Fine. I disinfected it and I gave myself a shot. I'll never complain about Galactica patients again," she said with a smile.

"As a first date that was pretty awful," Apollo muttered and Sharon shot him a sideways glance.

"Date?" she repeated.

"I'd say it's the closest I seem to be able to manage." he said ruefully.

When they arrived back at the Galactica, Apollo followed her back to the infirmary. "When do you have to go back to that ship?"

"Not until next month. I have some more visits around the fleet but to civilian ships. Thanks for the escort."

"Any time." He touched his fingertip to the scratch on her throat. "I wanted to blow him away."

"That would have been unwise," she said with a faint smile. "Thanks," she told him and drew his mouth down to hers and kissed him briefly before walking away. 

Her eyes widened when he caught her arm and swung her back around, pulling her into his arms, his mouth lowering to hers, covering hers hungrily. 

"As if that was going to be enough?" he murmured against her mouth.

She made a sound in her throat, putting her arms around his neck, pressing closer as he deepened the kiss, senses swimming, heart racing.

His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer, his hands moving over her slim, strong, sexy body hungrily, demanding a response which she willingly and helplessly gave.

"Gods, what the frak do you two think you're doing making out in the infirmary?" Doc Cottle demanded testily.

Sharon tried to pull back but Apollo kept his arm around her waist and stared down at the doctor who was glowering at them irritably. "Sorry, doc.... just borrowing your assistant for a few moments."

"Do it in your own time and in your own quarters. Sharon there's an idiot who needs his broken leg set," Cottle said glaring before storming off.

Sharon turned and looked regretfully at Apollo who was torn between looking frustrated and amused at having been interrupted.

"Sorry to get you into trouble," he said in a low voice, and she could have laughed at the expression in his light eyes which were darkened with desire.

She kissed him again and he would have deepened the kiss but she pulled back laughingly. He didn't want to release her though, holding her hands in his. 

"I have to go.," she told him.

"Just one more," he said, tugging her back and kissing her again. She cupped his face and he pulled her close again.

"Oh for frak's sake!" Cottle exploded and this time Sharon pulled away laughingly, pushing Apollo out the door.

"Go and do that flying thing you do."

Sharon went and gave Doc Cottle a hug. 

"Hey!"

"Sorry, doc," she said and kissed him on the cheek. He looked please but pretended to be cross. 

"Making out in the infirmary. What the frak was that?" he demanded as she scrubbed up and looked for bandages.

"Sorry."

"How was the prison?" his eyes went to the mark on her throat.

"Fine. A small bit of trouble but nothing we couldn't handle."

"I wish they'd send me instead," Doc said. "I don't like sending a woman there." 

"I'm a toaster remember, more dispensible."

"You're not a toaster to me. You're an efficient, hard-working machine.... except for today when god knows what's gotten into you. Lee Adama? Are you that desperate? The guy's so uptight he's going to snap."

"But he has cute eyes," Sharon murmured.

"And that's all you think is cute?" Cottle asked her provocatively and she laughed and went to the examination room to tend to her patient.

* * *

"So what about it?" The young lieutenant asked her as she was cleaning up the infirmary.

"No thanks," she said politely.

"It's just for a drink," he said. He wasn't bad looking, just kind of arrogant and she was tired of the curiosity of humans ... wanting to know what it was like to frak a Cylon. 

"I think she's made it clear she's not interested," Apollo drawled from the doorway.

"Captain Adama," the lieutenant stammered.

"Bye Lieutenant O'Shea," he said pleasantly.

"Can I help with anything?"

"May." she corrected him.

"May and can I help with anything?" he asked her, entering the infirmary.

"Nope. It's under control."

"I couldn't stop thinking about you today," he told her.

"That's a bit dangerous when flying."

"No kidding. Dare I ask if you were thinking about me, too?"

"Feel free to ask," she told him and then froze when she realised he was standing behind her at the sink. His lips were cool and assured as they kissed the back of her neck. His hands cupped her breast, caressing her.

"No Apollo it's not a good idea .." she whispered half-heartedly.

"Cottle's with the president, I saw him take a shuttle to the Colonial One," Apollo told her and she smothered a laugh. "One kiss and then I'll help you clean up." he told her. He drew her into his arms and their lips met and there was a sigh of pleasure and relief from both of them. "You have no idea what effect you have on me."

"I think it's the same as the one you have on me," she whispered, kissing him again, her tongue sliding against his lingeringly, sensually.

"Come back to my quarters after we clean up," he whispered huskily.

"I can't. I'm a mess and I have to shower."

"I have a shower in my quarters." he pointed out. 

He was as good as his word and helped her to clear up the infirmary. They linked fingers and walked back to his quarters. 

He locked the door behind him and they quickly stripped off their clothes. His hands went up and unlocked the collar from her throat and they went into the shower, laughter and sounds of pleasure emerging.

* * *

"So.... you and the captain," Baltar drawled as he entered the infirmary. 

"Are you here for another brain scan?" Sharon asked him and Baltar didn't look amused.

"I passed by here the other day and saw the two of you kissing. You do know that he considers Cylons to be disgusting, don't you?" Baltar asked her, his large eyes staring into hers.

"Is there something you want, Dr Baltar?" she asked him pointedly.

"I'm just looking out for you."

"Haven't you got enough to handle? She's a jealous mistress," Sharon told him and he blanched.

"You can see her?"

"No, but I know she's there. She must have been so disappointed when I lost my baby," Sharon said with a twisted smile and then turned back to work.

She walked past the rec room and heard voices calling her in. "Hey Valerii get in here, we're just starting another hand."

She walked in. Hotdog, Kat, Starbuck, Tigh, Dualla and Apollo were sitting there all in trousers and tank tops. Her eyes met Apollo's and she was pleased that she betrayed nothing although she was painfully aware of how devastatingly sexy he looked, sprawled back carelessly in his seat, his bare, muscled arms resting on the table. He was all lean and taut muscle, she knew it. The way he was looking at her, with that hot, hungry expression in his eyes she knew he was remembering last night, the way he had kissed her all over and she had kissed him all over, their uncontrollable laughter and sounds of passion.

She had lost count of the number of times they had made love. He had been insatiable ... and so had she ... 

"Pull up a chair, Valerii," Tigh said charitably, indicating the spot between him and Starbuck. Facing Apollo.

"Don't go .."

"I have to, I have to start early in the infirmary you know." The two of them had wrestled playfully. He knew she could beat him. On Kobol, he had tried to disarm her, thinking that she was going to betray them, but she had thrown him off and blown away a centurion above them in the cliffs. The playing was still fun though and she allowed herself to be wrestled back to the bed.

"Deal me in," Sharon said with a smile. Her gaze inadvertently met Apollo's. He smiled slightly, slowly and intimately and Sharon looked down at the table again, pretending to concentrate on her cards. Starbuck hadn't missed the exchange. She also hadn't missed the hickeys on Apollo's throat.

"You guys are sick, the only people I know who get horny after going to a prison for a date."

"Oh shut up," Apollo said good-naturedly as the two of them left the briefing room. When she had seen him she had cooed,"Someone looks like they got some yesterday... get lucky, sir?"

"Shut up Kara."

"Let me live vicariously through you," Starbuck said half jokingly and Apollo stopped and looked at her.

"They're still opposing the idea of going back to Caprica, right?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

"I tried to talk to dad but ..."

"Your president talked him out of it."

"She's not my president."

"Oh she loves you. Although it will be interesting to see how she reacts when she finds out you're frakking a toaster."

Interesting wasn't the word.

Sharon glanced up from her cards. "Stop staring at me," she told him with her eyes and he merely looked amused. 

She had dressed quickly and handed him the collar to put back on her throat.

"Frak," he said violently as he stared at the collar.

"Hurry up, I don't want to be late. Besides it covers up the hickeys." she joked when she could see that his expression was extremely unhappy. She grabbed it back from him, fastened and told him to lock it. He did with reluctant fingers and she rushed out the door before he could pull her back. His mouth tightened in frustration.

As they played cards, Sharon could tell she was being punished for rushing off in the morning. She concentrated on the cards though. Tigh was in a jovial mood and the snarking between Tigh and Starbuck made everyone laugh. Hot Dog was good value as always and Sharon found herself relaxing, laughing and smiling with the others, trying hard not to look at Apollo although he was clearly very happy to be looking at her.

"I heard you had a minor incident on the prison ship today," Tigh commented. "Perhaps it was a mistake to swap guards," Tigh said with a sardonic look at Lee. He was well aware of the young captain's feelings for the Cylon. To his credit he hadn't told Adama, although that might have been because there was no way the old man would have believed it unless he saw it for himself.

Tigh was still sceptical about Sharon but to be honest, he thought that her ability to do much damage was limited where she was and Doc Cottle certainly appreciated her assistance. It was a shame that they could never trust her to fly Raptors again because she had been one of their most conscientious pilots even if her landings had given Kelly a few heart attacks. 

"So," Hot Dog announced. "I heard that Clover's been giving you puppy dog eyes, Sharon," he said referring to Lieutenant O'Shea. "Has he asked you out? We've been placing bets."

Sharon glanced up from her cards. "I think you'll have to ask Lieutenant O'Shea," she said meeting Hot Dog's gaze and Hot Dog smirked. "Aw come on Sharon, you're no fun."

"Nope," she told him with a wicked little smile which made him grin back. Starbuck could almost see the steam emerging from Lee's ears. 

"He keeps inventing injuries so that he can visit you in the infirmary," Hot Dog joked and Kat elbowed him.

"That's not nice, he was genuinely injured ... the first time ..."

"Oh yes, sprained ankle," Sharon recalled. It was true that he had fabricated all number of excuses to continue returning to visit her. Apollo had been very unimpressed. Her revenge was to tease him about the females who tended to linger around _him_. His attractiveness was undeniable.

When the game was finished, Sharon made plans with Starbuck for their next sparring session. "'night. Want me to see you back to your quarters in case you have any unwelcome visitors?" Starbuck teased her.

"I can take care of myself." She looked at the other woman and said gently. "Starbuck - you haven't seen anyone since you got back from Caprica. That's so not like you .... I know that ..."

"Sharon I can't talk about it now." Starbuck told and Sharon nodded, Starbuck's response telling her everything she needed to know.

"We'll talk later," she promised and Starbuck grinned wryly.

"Sure. Take care buddy." The girls parted ways and Sharon walked back to her quarters.

"Well this is a surprise," Sharon said as she got back to her quarters and Apollo was leaning against the door waiting for her.

"You sure took your time," Apollo drawled. "Is flirting part of Cylon programming?" he asked her with mock curiosity.

"Funny," she said, the doors of her quarters sliding open. Apollo walked in, the doors slid shut and she went into his arms like she belonged there, resting her cheek against him with a sigh of pleasure. His arms tightened around her.

"I wanted you there .... it was driving me nuts having you so close to me yet I couldn't even touch you ...." he said in a low voice, holding her so close to him that he could feel her heart beat.

"You were _teasing_ me," she accused him. He smiled and kissed her.

"Alone at last," he murmured and she nodded. He liked to linger when taking off her clothes, peeling it off layer by layer, his mouth pressing tender kisses to her skin. She felt worshipped, loved and adored.

His own body was .... impressive ... taut, lean, rippling with muscles. She had seen him in a flightsuit but had never imagined that his body was so beautiful.

"Was the person who gave you your call sign a woman?" she asked him, sinking to her knees before him and he groaned, his fingers tangling in her hair as she took him in her mouth, her warm, soft lips closing over him tantalisingly, her tongue licking and tasting, fondling and caressling.

Her hands gripped his lean and taut buttocks as her mouth moved over him hungrily, sensually and his hips thrust rhythmically against her lips.

"Gods, Sharon ..." he bit out, spilling some of himself into her. He pulled back, pulling her back up to her feet despite her sexy laughing protests.

"No, I want you with me when I come .... I want to be inside you ... feeling you ..... coming in your mouth is such a boy's fantasy." He told her, pulling her down to the bed.

She laughed at him, kissing his neck, her hand sliding down to caress him. "I'm happy to live out your fantasies," she told him provocatively.

"Naughty," he told her and smiled in grim satisfaction when she arched against him, pleasure suffusing her flushed face as his fingers slid inside her, stroking her and pleasuring her. He knew exactly how to please her, knew what made her mewl in pleasure and beg for more. There was something unrestrainedly sensual about her when they were alone, such a contrast to her quiet, almost prim demeanour when in the presence of others.

"You're teasing me again," she groaned and her fingers sank into the bed when his mouth replaced his fingers and his tongue plunged deep.

"It's so fun," he said huskily and when he plunged deep inside her, they were both more than ready and they were so close and so hungry that they could not tell that they were not one body.

* * *

Sharon had expected Apollo to want to keep their relationship under wraps. As the CAG and also as the son of Adama, his every action was scrutinised, watched, criticised. She had asked Cottle not to say anything but Apollo openly visited her in the infirmary when he had free time. When they walked down the corridor he held her hand, something which attracted stares and whispers the first time.

He kissed her in the rec room once, a light and brush across the lips but it was enough for the news to spread like wildfire. 

"What are you doing?" she whispered, her dark eyes widening in horror as everyone stared at them in shock.

Apollo lifted his eyebrows sardonically. "I'm putting my mouth on yours," he told her coolly. "It's called a kiss. I didn't realise that you didn't know what we'd been doing all this time," he teased her.

"Everyone can see," she whispered.

"Were you intending to keep this a secret?" he asked her questioningly.

"Your position ...." she started to say.

"Who gives a frak about my position," Apollo said irritably. "Come on, let's go for a walk," he said reaching out and taking her hand and walking out amidst the loud whispers. 

"I can't believe you did that." Sharon said, her face set as they walked down the corridor.

Apollo slanted a glance at her. "I'm not ashamed of you Sharon. I'm not ashamed of _us_ ," he told her bluntly. "I consider myself the luckiest guy in the planet that you'd be willing to forgive me for being such an asshole to you."

That made her smile but then her smile faded. "You being an asshole pales into insignificance beside the fact that Cylons tried to wipe out the human race, Apollo," she told him.

He drew her into a deserted doorway and cupped her face in his hands. He kissed her forehead, each cheek, the tip of her nose and then her mouth. "It wasn't you, baby ..... I know it wasn't you. I'm not going blame you for things your .... people did...."

"That's so human of you," she said soberly, her dark eyes filled with sadness. "Apollo this can't end well. Your motives will be called into question .... your loyalty .... we should have kept this a secret."

"No," he said fiercely. "No secrets. There's no shame here, that's what you have to understand". His eyes were almost black, he felt so strongly and she raised her hand to his cheek and touched his face tenderly. He turned his head and kissed her hand, raising his hand to hold her hand to his face.

"You're not thinking straight but I don't want to argue with you," she told him finally, her mouth dropping down slightly at the corners and he lowered his head to kiss the corner of her mouth.

"Smile love ... you are so pretty when you smile," he encouraged her and she refused but a few giggles and kisses later, he had kissed a smile back onto her lips and the little laugh that escaped her lips made his heart sing and his own eyes lighten with love. Seeing Sharon smile again was one of the greatest joys of his life. He hadn't thought it was possible but it made him believe in miracles again.

It hadn't taken long for the summons to come from President Roslin.

"President," Apollo said respectfully, standing before Laura Roslin, his face grave.

"It has come to my attention that you have become involved with Lieutenant Agathon's .... the Cylon known as Sharon Valerii." Disapproval was almost dripping from the president's voice.

"Sharon and I are involved, yes." Apollo said calmly, his gaze meeting Roslin's squarely.

"Do you think that wise, Captain Apollo?" she asked him bluntly.

"Wisdom doesn't come into this. I'm in love with her." Roslin flinched.

"May the Gods help us," she murmured. "What is the appeal of this ..... thing ... that it manages to ....."

"Madam President, you've said quite enough. You know that I am loyal to you, to the fleet and to our objectives. I have the highest regard for you but I cannot permit you to speak in such a manner about Sharon."

"Apollo she's a Cylon."

"I'm well aware of that, Madam President. I'd also like to remind you Madam President that without Sharon we would not have found the Tomb of Athena, my father would have been shot by Meier, the Cylon virus would have overwhelmed the Galactica - and you yourself would be dead if it was not for the stem cells from Sharon's baby?"

The president pretended not to hear him. "You have no idea where her loyalties lie, she could be .... Gods, if only I had followed through and put her in the airlock as threatened. This would never have happened ...."

Apollo turned very white at her words, his eyes turning black with fury and shock at the thought of Sharon being killed. "That is enough, ma'am. Haven't you heard a single word that I have said? I _love_ her .... you're talking about putting the woman I _love_ out an airlock. Take note, Sharon is under my protection now, anyone who harms her in any way - will answer to me."

"Where are your loyalties, Captain Apollo?" she asked him. He glared at her.

"If there's nothing else, I should return to the Galactica," he told her coolly.

"I will be speaking with your father about this," the president told him evenly and Apollo gave a short laugh of disbelief.

"You should do whatever you think appropriate, but I'm not a child to be told who I may love and may not love. Madam President, I have always held you in the highest respect - please don't take an attitude to disappoint me now."

When he returned to the Galactica, he immediately went to the infirmary where Sharon was laughing with a little brown-haired girl of about three who was riding about on her shoulders, her fingers in Sharon's hair, tousling it. 

When Sharon saw him, her gaze flickered across his face swiftly, missing nothing. He crossed to her side and they kissed briefly in greeting.

"And who is this cheeky little monkey?" Apollo asked, hoisting the little girl into his arms easily. She chuckled uncontrollably and looked up at him mischievously.

"Anitha, say hello to Apollo."

Anitha greeted Apollo politely and then hugged him around the neck. "Can you take her into the other room. I have to get her blood transfusion ready."

"Blood transfusion?" Apollo asked her in a low voice after Sharon returned a little while later. Anitha was sleeping peacefully.

"She has a rare blood disorder. She only has six months to live but the transfusions seem to help."

"You've been giving her _your_ blood, haven't you?" Apollo demanded. "How much have you been giving? No wonder you're so pale lately," he said accusingly.

"Cylon blood seems to help her a little ... we're designed to be Universal Donors and my blood seems to help her more than ordinary blood does."

"You still need time to recover after you donate each time. Gods Sharon, don't drain yourself dry. Also, you shouldn't spread this information around. You know that if word of this gets out, before you know it they'll have you hooked up to a machine, on tap - just a resource to be used."

"I'm well aware that the human rights charter doesn't protect me, Apollo," she told him gently. Sharon looked at him in concern. "You looked .. unhappy when you came in ... things went badly with the president ...." She touched his cheek, drawing him close and holding him against her comfortingly, her fingers sliding through his hair. "Tell me what was it? She wants to put me in an airlock again?" she asked.

Apollo looked aghast. "You're frakking psychic now?"

Sharon laughed. "No, it doesn't take a genius to know that she wouldn't want her young prince ... her boy toy to be playing with an evil Cylon. Also it's Roslin's first port of call - put the thing in the airlock. You know she even threatened to put Helo in the airlock."

At his look of shock she smiled wryly. "I'm _glad_ you didn't know about it .. weren't in on it. That time on Kobol when you said I was pretty quick to join you on Kobol given I don't believe in your scriptures .... it was because she said if I didn't succeed, I was going in the airlock and _Lieutenant Agathon_ with me."

"Sharon ... I ..."

"I'm not lying," she told him angrily and he touched her cheek.

"I wasn't going to say that. I was going to say that I'm so sorry .... I had no idea ... I'm sorry for what she said, for what she threatened. I'm sorry I was such a frakking jerk."

She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him lingeringly. "It's past, Apollo. It doesn't matter."

"It matters to _me_ ," he said drawing her into his arms.

"It's why I worry about whether your decision to make our ...relationship public wasn't a little hasty."

"Stop worrying," he told her, kissing her brow and then resting his forehead against hers.

"You don't worry that I might go _loco_ and kill you and everyone else?"

"You're not a sleeper Cylon. I suspect your directives were fairly simple ..... " he told her. "And I'll take that chance, Sharon. I have no choice because it would be impossible for me to give you up now. _More_ than impossible." His voice was low and intense.

She sighed and he kissed her mouth teasingly, kissed her until the sad droop had turned back into a smile and she was kissing him back.

"Oh frak, not again," Doc Cottle exclaimed as he walked into the infirmary. 

"Keep it clean." he told them severely. He looked at Sharon sharply and shook his head. "You've been giving blood again." He stared at Apollo.

"Take her somewhere and give her a meal, she's going to die if she keeps this up." he said curtly. "I don't care if you're a Cylon, heavy blood loss will still kill you. Get out and next time don't do anything without consultation with me."

That made Apollo looked horrified and he seized Sharon unceremoniously by the wrist and dragged her out the door despite her protests.

"I'm fine."

"Sure you are," he said angrily. "You heard what Doc Cottle said. It's just what I suspected," he said furiously, making her laugh despite herself.

She didn't want him to worry about her. He had been pulling long shifts..... very long shifts. She'd been in CIC the night before talking to him over the wireless, keeping him awake, keeping him alert. Even Tigh hadn't complained.

Hearing his voice, she had known exactly how exhausted he was and her heart had ached. "It's late .... you should go to bed," he told her even though he was the one who was exhausted.

"Only if you're with me," she said into the mike, not caring that everyone else in CIC could hear her. They all pretended not to notice, going about their business, trying not to think too hard about the fact that a Cylon was keeping their CAG awake, bringing him home .....

* * *

"What's up?" Starbuck asked inquiringly, looking up from her notes, noticing that Sharon was standing in the doorway,

Sharon slid into a nearby seat in the briefing room, an oddly intent expression on her face.

"You've got a new group of nuggets coming by for Viper training." Sharon pointed out.

"Yeah. So?" Starbuck asked, looking at her.

"I want to take the training," Sharon told her bluntly, her dark eyes not moving from Starbuck's.

Starbuck's eyes widened. "Sharon, I ..."

"Look, they're never going to let me fly a Raptor again. Pilot and ECO, they'd never risk the life of another person. But a Viper - I'd be alone in the cockpit. If there was even a hint that I was going loco, you or Apollo ... or one of the others could shoot me down in a heartbeat. No risk to the fleet."

Starbuck gave her a baleful look. "Before you so _rudely_ interrupted me, I was going to say that although you're a great pilot Sharon, you were never cut out to fly Vipers. You never had the chops for a Viper."

"Kara, I've been training _really_ hard these past few months. I'm in top physical condition." Sharon looked at Starbuck and the smile she gave her was almost unsettling. "I'm motivated. I've got the chops now," she said resolutely. When Starbuck would have continued to argue, she said:

"Look please just consider it. Talk to Adama? If I suck then wash me out. I'm not asking for any special treatment or favours - just give me a chance to join the nuggets and get training .... Please Kara. If it was Zak - wouldn't you want to be able to do your bit to strike back?"

Starbuck stared at Sharon. "You didn't have to bring Zak up, Sharon. Low blow."

Sharon flinched. "I wasn't trying to hurt you ... I just want you to understand, I have to do this. It's what I was meant to do." she said almost feverishly.

"All right, I'll talk to the old man. I'd rather tell him than Lee," Starbuck said, her mouth twisting in wry amusement. 

She had never seen Lee Adama so in love and caught up in a woman. The past few months, the CAG had been a changed man. Kara had been amused and happy for her friend. 

She knew that although Adama had been more than slightly appalled, he had known better than to try to question Lee's decision. Starbuck still remembered the first time Apollo had recountered Sharon, he'd tried to blow her brains out, slapped Starbuck down for 'bringing in the trash' and basically treated her like dirt.

Oh how the mighty have fallen ....

"I take it you haven't told him yet."

"He'll oppose it."

"So will Doc Cottle. I'm going to have both of them at my throats." Starbuck said in amusement. "Fortunately, I relish a challenge and thrive on adversity." Starbuck said maliciously.

"Thanks, Kara." Sharon said gratefully.

* * *

"Starbuck what the frak do you think you're doing? How could you talk my father into agreeing to let Sharon take on Viper training?"

"I was wondering when you were going to visit. Heard the news have you?" Starbuck inquired, looking as if she was enjoying herself prodigiously. "Doc Cottle was here before you, I thought he was going to blow a blood vessel."

"This isn't funny, Kara. It was you who told me before that Sharon hasn't got the chops to fly a Viper."

"So why aren't you having this discussion with your girlfriend?" Starbuck asked him and he looked harassed.

"I did and I lost. I'm never going to win against a ghost, Kara. She thinks she's getting revenge for the deaths of Helo and Caprica." Starbuck's smile faded.

"Look, she's got to prove herself like the rest of the nuggets. If she's bad, she'll wash out - as the CAG you'll get a chance to check out all the nuggets in the first week. You get a say - be as picky as you like. But we have to give her a shot. We have a shortage of good pilots and if Sharon can do it, then we should let her."

Lee swore beneath his breath, rubbing a little tiredly at his eyes.

Starbuck raised her eyebrows. "So, not getting much sleep lately? At it like bunnies, sir? Must be tough, Cylons have stamina and never run out of steam .... " she taunted him wickedly and laughed herself crazy when Lee actually _blushed_. 

The night before after their raving row about Sharon deciding to try out for Viper training, they had engaged in what could only be described as outright, mindblowing, sizzing make-up sex. He had barely been able to drag himself out of bed in the morning. 

Sharon had pulled him back and he had laughed.

"You're going to make me late," he said, kissing her lingeringly, pulling her naked body against him. 

"Do I look like I care?" she asked, squirming against him provocatively. He had groaned, pulling himself away with extreme reluctance.

"Don't be angry, Apollo .... this is something I've got to do," she told him, pulling back and kissing him before releasing him. His mouth had tightened but he hadn't retorted then, choosing instead to unleash his anger on Starbuck.

"It's good to see you happy, Lee." Starbuck said finally, with a grin on her face.

"Then don't let the women I love get killed." he said bluntly and Starbuck shook her head.

"You're not going to manipulate me. She's a big girl. Give her a shot."

* * *

"Boomer what the frak do you think you're doing?" Lee demanded violently over the coms making everyone else wince. Although the relationship between the CAG and Sharon was well-known, it was extremely apparent that far from being softer on her, he was being an absolute bastard to her - harder on her than on anyone else.

"Sorry, sir," Sharon said apologetically and corrected her error immediately.

Starbuck had stood in front of the Nuggets, trying not to grin at Sharon who sat in the front row, alert and deeply interested in everything she had to say. She had introduced the CAG: "Who will be flying with us this week to assess your skills and aptitude. Lee Adama, call sign Apollo."

"At ease," he had said. Starbuck lifted her eyebrows when she heard how stern he was. Much sterner than his usual speech.

"There is absolutely no room for mistakes or error in this role. I am giving you fair warning - I'm going to be watching all of you this week and if at the end of the week I am not satisfied, I am washing you out rather than letting you jeopardise your life and the lives of your peers."

Starbuck slanted a look at Sharon and rolled her eyes and Sharon giggled aloud.

"Valerii - clean-up duty after chow for your insubordination. Save your laughter for your own time." he barked at her.

"Yes, sir," Sharon said obediently, her eyes promising Starbuck that she was going to get it.

The first flight had been a little gruelling for Sharon but she thought she had flown rather well. She waited expectantly for her feedback.

"You were pathetic. More than pathetic. I see flying that shoddy again and you're out." Apollo told her cuttingly before moving onto the next Nugget. Sharon didn't try to talk back. She knew what motivated him but she wasn't going to be deterred. Besides, Starbuck had been standing right behind Apollo, making happy faces and giving Sharon the thumbs up - and pretending to stab Apollo in the back with an imaginary knife.

"She's good, you saw that. Clearly head and shoulders above the others," Starbuck defended her.

"Her evasive techniques are awful."

"It was her first time out, she's used to flying a Raptor for frak's sake." Starbuck pointed out. "Stop being such an asshole." Starbuck walked out.

After chow she went to the kitchen where Sharon was washing up. "Hey there friend, I was wondering when you'd feel guilty and come and join me," she said.

"I was surprised he didn't make you hit the deck and do 20," Starbuck said with amusement pulling on a pair gloves and helping to wash dishes.

"That might be better. This is enough to make me not want to eat dinner tomorrow," Sharon said staring with distaste at the residue on the plate.

"Yeah, gross is an understatement. God knows how we stay in the air eating crap like this. You were pretty good out there today, Sharon. Stay cool and withhold sex," Starback told her and the girls burst out laughing.

"Plotting my demise?" Apollo drawled from the doorway.

"Oh it's the CAG, we don't like him," Starbuck told Sharon in a loud exaggerated whisper.

"Yeah, what an uptight jerk," Sharon pretended to whisper back.

"Let's frag him him when he's not looking."

"You two finished your second rate comedy show?" Apollo asked, looking mildly amused.

One blonde head and one brunette turned to stare at him. "Oh my god, do you think he heard?" Sharon demanded.

"What's taking so long?"

"Grab a sponge and you'll find out," Sharon told him sweetly. Shaking his head, a smile on his face.

"You expect me to help you with your punishment?" Sharon turned her head and smiled at him and Apollo knew he was a goner.

* * *

Much later that night, the water sluiced down around them in the shower. Apollo had his arms around her and was kissing her cheek.

"You always smell so nice. How is that possible? You use the same soap as me," Apollo complained.

She nuzzled his neck lovingly. "You smell nice, too." she told him with a smile. "You looked all stern, sexy and kinda repressed in uniform today. I wanted to tousle your hair and nibble on you like this." She demonstrated by nibbling on his neck.

"I wanted to do more than that with you," he conceded, reaching out to turn off the water, towelling them both dry. She ran a towel over her tangled hair and they pulled on their night clothes and Apollo sat on the bed as Sharon sat on the edge dragged a comb roughly through her tangled hair.

"Frak don't do that," he muttered, taking the comb from her and she smiled as he careful coaxed the knots from her hair, his fingers lingering in her hair as he combed, his lips pressing kisses to the nape of her neck, to the side of her neck.

"You're good at that," she mused as he soothed all the tangles from her hair.

He laughed and kissed her, cupping her face in his hands. "I'm shagging the CAG, I'm shagging the CAG," she teased him and he laughed. Then his face turned serious.

"Sharon, please .... I've never begged anyone in my life but I'm begging you - _don't_ do this."

Sharon shook her head.

"I have to. Besides .... when we met I was a pilot ...remember? You had no problems with your president sending me on a reconnaisance mission to find missing ships .... that wasn't the safest exercise in the world."

"But .... that was different ..." he whispered harshly. "At that time, you weren't mine ..... " his mouth pressed kisses to her throat, pressed kisses to her bare shoulder before returning to her mouth. "I didn't know how soft and delicate you were, how just holding you makes me feel like I want to be a better man ....."

"Apollo - you're out there everyday risking your life for the fleet. For me ..... let me do my part."

"You do great work with Doc Cottle," he protested.

Her mouth covered his and cut off further speech.

By the end of the first week, Apollo was torn between pride and frustration. Sharon was consistently outperforming all of the other nuggets. Starbuck's amusement was almost tangible. In desperation, he went to his father.

"Just what is it you expect me to do, son?" Adama asked incredulously.

"I'm abusing our relationship. I want you to veto Sharon's appointment as a Viper pilot. I don't care what reason you give, just don't let her in."

Adama looked down at the examination results. "Lee - on what grounds do you expect me to wash her out? She's received almost perfect scores on everything, sure there's a note here saying she's got attitude but compared to Starbuck that's nothing .... she's a good pilot. I can't just kick her out."

"Say it's because she's a Cylon."

Adama looked at his son. "You've got no problem frakking a Cylon, walking around with your arm around her ... public shows of affection ......"

Apollo stared at him. To his credit, Adama had not hauled Apollo into his office, like the president, demanding to know what he was doing. He hadn't asked him if he was insane, why he was doing what he was doing and where his loyalties were. Adama had a far greater appreciation of the complexities of human emotion. He also had his reasons for being grateful to Sharon despite the fact that she was a Cylon.

"Fair call. Dad I've never asked you for a favour."

"You never call me dad unless you want something." Adama said shaking his head. "She's not a child, you can't wrap her in cotton wool. Now you know how I feel when you do frakking stupid things. Dismissed." he said abruptly.

Starbuck almost killed herself laughing at the sour expression on Lee's face when he had announced to the nuggets that they had all passed their examinations and were cleared to commence Viper training. 

Sharon had been just as overjoyed as the others, jumping around with happiness and rushing off with them for a celebratory drink.

Starbuck and Apollo watched them run out of the room and there had been a bitter expression on Apollo's face as Sharon's face had lit up with joy.

"On a serious note though, Lee. When you're out there, you're going to have to treat her like any other pilot. Otherwise you're going to get both of you killed."

"Thank you Lieutenant Thrace," Lee said sarcastically.

"I never thought you'd fall so hard for anyone, Lee ... especially a Cylon."

"Yeah well, funny thing is, neither did I." Lee said irritably.

"Be happy for her, Lee ..... it's a good feeling to get in," she told him.

That gave Lee pause. It was true that the feeling of elation on being accepted was glorious. After he finished writing his reports, he walked to the Officers' Mess.

"Buy you a congratulatory drink?" he asked Sharon as a peace offering. He'd been an asshole to her during the week and to her credit she hadn't held it against him, appearing to understand exactly what his problem was.

"Yeah, we'd love one," she said, grinning wickedly and Apollo found himself buying drinks for all the nuggets.

* * *

Sharon passed her Viper training the top of her class and even Adama had to smile with how delighted she seemed, almost jumping out of her skin when he pinned her wings to her chest.

"Congratulations Lieutenant Valerii. Welcome back."

"Thank you sir," and hugged him impulsively, to the horror and shock of all present.

Adama froze in shock and then hugged her back, patting her shoulder in a slightly awkward fashion.

"CAG not good enough for you anymore," Lee taunted her that night when they lay in bed together. She laughed, kissing him exuberantly and her happiness made him smile. Sharon's laugh and smile lit up his world, tugged at his heart and he knew that he could deny her nothing when she gave him that look.

His own visage was a lot more relaxed and smiling of late as well as everyone had pointed out. The new Apollo was more good-humoured and easygoing. 

The two were undeniably a couple. Although questions might have been asked and people might have wondered how on earth Adama could let his son the CAG frak a Cylon .... the fact remained that the two were hard-working, dedicated Viper pilots who put their lives on the line everyday.

* * *

Lee never had a moment of peace in the air after that. The women gave him absolute hell, mocking him, taunting him, plaguing his life. Their back and forth, their joking made them a huge hit among the other pilots. 

Lee called them the Gruesome Twosome, the thorns in his side, the banes of his existence and any other insults he could think of at the time.

They even ganged up against him in Triad.

Sharon was perfect for patrols. She didn't need stims, she just didn't get tired as often as everyone else did. When she went on patrol, he frequently maintained radio contact with her from the deck, joking around with her and putting up with her insults. 

He most frequently paired her with himself or with Starbuck given that they flew together like a well oiled machine.

In battle she was a maniac. Almost on the point of losing control but there was a feverish determination in her to wipe out as many of the enemy as she could, showing little concern for her own safety or life.

"It's what makes her an effective killing machine," Adama told his son heavily when Lee discussed the issue with him. "No I will not have a talk with her. Son, have you ever stopped to consider whether this romance of yours has a future? It can only end badly"

"Dad, I love her. Honour my choice. Please." 

Adama's face had been expressionless. Tigh had shaken his head in disapproval.

"I don't know what the world is coming, too. If it's any consolation, the president is disapproving as hell of the relationship."

"Why would that be a consolation?" Adama asked, looking irritated. "I have my own opinions and if she disapproves, it makes me feel like I should approve."

* * *

"No." Sharon said stubbornly.

"You're going to disobey a direct order from your CAG?" Apollo demanded.

"Yeah. Throw me in the brig. I've been there before."

"Come on Sharon, you're being unreasonable," Apollo said impatiently.

Sharon glared at him. "Just because I have a sense of self-preservation, I'm being unreasonable? No. Way. Apollo. You can't make me. I'd rather blow my brains out."

"Sharon that's not funny," he said sternly and she said. 

"You know, whenever you get in your poker up your ass CAG mode, you always tilt your head to the side and look disapproving."

"So you refuse."

"Yeah I refuse." They were toe to toe, nose to nose, both seething with stubbornness.

"Sharon."

"I'm not debating this issue. I've taken on extra shifts this week, I've gone above and beyond the call of duty. You're just pushing me too far. There are limits, Apollo."

"Oh for frak's sake, Sharon, get a grip."

"No." she told him, moving to walk out of the room.

He seized her wrist and she stared at him in outrage. "Take your hand off me or you lose it."

He didn't let go. "Don't make me hurt you," she told him threateningly.

He lifted his eyebrows as if to say: "Go ahead." His face was mocking, almost contemptuous. She didn't hesitate.

She slammed him against the wall and smiled in a deadly fashion. "Apollo, if you try to force me."

"Yes?"

"I will never have sex with you again." she released him and would have walked out but he caught her around the waist this time, laughing.

"Come on, you'd be the first one to fold ... begging .... oh harder, _harder_ ," he mimicked and laughed when she stared at him in an infuriated fashion.

"Apollo .. please?" she asked him, changing tack, her brown eyes wide and pleading.

"No. No. Do _not_ do that." he said, shaking his head. 

The corners of her mouth drooped and she looked so sad that he felt like the biggest bastard in the world.

"Stop it." he told her. 

She kissed his neck. "Please Apollo ... " she whispered enticingly. Her arms slid around his neck, kissing him lingeringly. "Please don't make me."

"Gods, it's just a frakking _dinner_ , not a firing squad. Dad invited us. It would be rude to say no."

"But Tigh and his wife will be there .... she _hates_ me."

"Well you hate her, too. So do I for that matter. Big deal? She's just jealous because you're way cuter than she is."

"Is Starbuck coming?"

"No she said she'd rather be put out the airlock than put herself through that torture. She swapped shifts with Hot Dog to get out of it." Apollo confessed despite himself, laughing at the expression of indignation on Sharon's face.

* * *

Sharon took a small sip of her soup and looked down at her plate. The table was quiet. Adama was on her left, Lee on her right. To his right was Tigh and Ellen was facing her. 

"Would anyone like any more soup?" Adama as host asked. 

"I'm fine thanks," Sharon demurred.

"Do Cylons even need to eat?" Ellen demanded abruptly. 

Lee stiffened and Sharon looked up. 

"Well _I_ do, although sometimes the chow in the mess room is enough to make you want to stop eating altogether." she replied.

Adama smiled. "I saw your last flight, Sharon - excellent. Your dogfighting skills show a marked improvement." 

Sharon looked delighted and embarrassed. "Thank you sir. I've learnt a lot from .." she looked over at Apollo. ".... _Starbuck_ ," she said and both Adama and Lee burst out laughing. "Maybe a little from Apollo, too," she said with a mischievous smile.

"Doesn't it make you something of a traitor to kill your own?" Ellen asked her and Lee closed his eyes, knowing that Sharon was probably going to break his arm that evening, or at least withhold sex.

"The Galactica fleet took me in even though I was one of the enemy. Helo and the others protected me. The Cylons killed my lover and my child .... so I'd say I'm pretty much released from any loyalty I might have felt to them," Sharon said quietly and with dignity. "Besides, there are standing instructions - and Colonel Tigh will confirm this, that if any time I appear to go loco in the sky, I am to be shot down."

Tigh nodded. "It is true that I have given these instructions." Sharon looked a little uncomfortable.

Lee looked appalled.

"Why wasn't I told about that?"

"It was Sharon's request." Adama told his son. 

Lee glared at Sharon. Maybe he would be the one withholding sex tonight.

"A child, how can a machine bear a child?" Ellen asked offensively. Lee reached out and took Sharon's hand in his, squeezing it tightly.

"Ellen. I saw Caprica ... Sharon's baby girl and she was as beautiful as her mother. This is a painful topic. Let's talk of happier things." 

Sharon squeezed back on his fingers, her dark eyes filled with gratitude at his intervention.

"I'm sorry," he mouthed at her, a wry grimace curving his mouth.

"Yeah you better be," she mouthed back and Adama covered his mouth with a serviette to hide the smile. Whatever doubts he had held, in seeing the young couple together, he couldn't help being struck by the fact that they appeared like any other young couple who were hopelessly and desperately in love. He had never seen his complicated, complex, headstrong, moody and wilful son so ..... at peace and in love. There was a new gentleness and happiness in him that Adama rejoiced to see even if he had reservations about the cause.

Tigh oddly enough treated Sharon quite decently. For one, the standing shootdown orders gave him comfort, secondly she was an excellent pilot who wasn't as mouthy as Starbuck, thirdly she could fly for ages without being tired and as XO, he loved that kind of pilot. Pity about his bitch of a wife.

"Adama, don't you have a problem with your son seeing someone who is still wearing a prison collar? She might as well be wearing a red jumpsuit." Ellen demanded, clearly determined to be as obnoxious as possible. 

"Ellen," Lee exclaimed and Adama held up a hand.

"Lee she's talking to me. Ellen, Lee makes his own decisions about who is seeing and I support him. As to the prison collar, we offered to remove it a while ago. It's Sharon's decision to keep it on." 

Apollo looked shocked at that. "What?" he demanded violently.

Sharon sighed. "It's easier this way. This way I don't have to get accused every single time something from the small arms' locker goes missing or a virus is uploaded onto the system. Yeah it's a pain wearing this, but it's a hell of a lot better than spending my whole time defending myself."

Lee looked at her and she looked back. "It's better for you, too Apollo." she told him softly.

"She's right." Adama told him. "It's as much for the protection of your credibility and reputation as anything."

"Why am I never consulted on these rather significant issues?" Lee demanded a little angrily.

"Because it's Sharon's decision." Adama told him.

* * *

"God it was as bad .. no _worse_ than I thought it would be ..." Sharon said with feeling and Apollo laughed despite himself as they walked back through the corridor. He tried to take her hand and she pulled away tauntingly.

"No way, you think you get to hold my hand after putting me through _that_?"

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad," Apollo protested with a half laugh, lunging at her and she evaded him easily.

"Oh it was _worse_. Could Ellen have brought up my Cylon-ness anymore than she did?" Sharon demanded, continuing to avoid Apollo as he kept trying to grab her.

"Well the food was all right," he told her.

"Yeah, that was acceptable. And your dad was good company ...."

"There you go," Apollo said, grinning at her. She leaned against a wall smiling provocatively at him and let him approach her. As he got closer, he made a grab for her again but she laughed and took off, running away from him. 

"Oh come _on_ ," he swore, chasing after her. "This is so immature," he told her, laughing despite himself as she sped up and disappeared down a dark, unlit corridor.

"Gotcha." he said, grabbing her, spinning around and pinning her against the wall. She giggled, the sound being cut off as they kissed in the darkness, long and hungry kisses. His mouth was at her throat and then he pulled back as he encountered her collar.

"When did you talk to my father about the collar?"

"Never mind," she said, pulling him back. "Just kiss me flyboy, you haven't sufficiently grovelled to me for putting me through that."

He kissed her laughingly, his breathing excited as she caressed his face and nibbled at his lower lip. "You can't distract me. Sharon - I'll protect you, no one's going to accuse you of anything."

"You'll beat up everyone will you?" she asked him, nibbling on his lobe. "You'll stop the whispers? No Apollo, trust me on this one. You're the commander's son ... it's bad enough that you're ... with a Cylon ... if you defend me against public accusations it would be a disaster."

"Let me worry about that." he told her firmly.

She placed her fingers on his lips. "We'll take it off for bed like we usually do, but I'll wear it otherwise. You just have to trust me not to sneak out at night when you're sleeping."

"I trust you, Sharon." he told her, his mouth covering hers again.

"You'd say anything, you're so horny right now."

"Damned straight," he said with a laugh and carried her back to his quarters.


	6. Closer to God

"I've told you, I don't know anything," Sharon said calmly as Baltar tried to corner her again.

"Can you see her?" he demanded, almost feverishly.

"I told you, I can't. I just know that the Number Six model has always had a ... special interest in you."

Baltar looked around wildly, obviously being pestered by the ever-present being he knew of as Six.

"I doubt she's happy that you're talking about her," Sharon said evenly as she walked through the corridor dressed in her flightsuit. Baltar had been haunting her for weeks, trying to get time alone with her.

"Is she a chip in my head? What is she? Is she connected to the others?"

"I don't know."

"You're lying. You tell me or I'll make sure you suffer," Baltar said threateningly.

Sharon turned and looked at him. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm the Cylon expert," Baltar said drawing himself up. "If I suggest ... imply that you're dangerous ... that you should be confined again ... further tests and _experiments_ should be conducted, important people will listen."

Sharon looked at him incredulously. "Dr Baltar, they already know how dangerous I am and what a potential threat I am to their safety. I'm not here to harm you, I just want to be left alone."

Baltar seized her and slammed her heavily against the wall. She resisted him easily but he smiled and held up a small remote which controlled her collar.

She sank to her knees screaming in agony at the pain that ripped through her body, starting at her neck. Baltar hadn't expected the screams, looked disconcerted and dragged her into a deserted room.

"Oh gods ...." he clearly hadn't expected her pain to be quite so acute and he stared in shock at her tearful face.

"I really don't know anything," she bit out, her body twitching violently from the residual pain.

"I'm going to frakking kill you," Apollo said from the door way, storming in and knocking the doctor out with an unscientifically violent punch which crumpled him to the ground. He might have continued pounding at him but when he saw Sharon twitching on the ground, he sank to his knees beside her.

"Baby .... what the frak did he do to you?"

"Collar..." she whispered before she sank into merciful unconsciousness.

* * *

"I'm fine," Sharon whispered as Apollo dropped a kiss to her pale face, looking extremely worried. She had regained consciousness after he had carried her to the infirmary. Baltar had been taken to the brig for questioning.

"I don't want you to question him," Sharon said with a smile. "You'll just beat the crap out of him."

"As he deserves. Why was he torturing you?"

"He wanted information .... information I don't have ...." Sharon said wry smile.

"Gods Sharon .... you scared me to death. You kept twitching .... I thought you were going to die." He looked distraught and Sharon's throat tightened painfully as she saw the fear in his eyes.

"I'm alive and kicking." she told him, turning her head slightly on the pillow. Dr Cottle came in and shot a sympathetic look at Apollo. The young captain had been distraught when he had brought Sharon in, explaining what had happened in scarcely coherent terms.

"Why is she still wearing the damned collar? Do you have any idea how painful it is?" Cottle demanded.

"She was given the option to take it off, she refused," Apollo told him . "Is she going to be all right .... she's still twitching ..." Apollo told her.

"You try dealing with agony being shot through all your nerve centres, Apollo. I'm going to give her a very mild sedative - rest and unconsciousness is better for her than adding a painkiller to the mix."

Adama had come in a little after that and had looked a little disturbed at the sight of Sharon's tearstained face, the fact that she was still twitching in pain until the sedative took effect. He was equally horrified by the effect on his son.

"Is she going to be all right?"

"Yeah." Apollo bit out, his eyes dark with fury.

"Baltar says he was just trying to get information out of her ... that he hadn't meant to hurt her."

"I'm going to ...."

"You stay away from him. We need him."

"He could have _killed_ her."

Adama watched as Apollo wiped Sharon's tear-stained face down, leaned down to kiss her tenderly before sitting beside her, holding her hand even though she was unconscious and didn't know what was going on.

"Let me know when she recovers consciousness," Adama said, putting a comforting hand on his son's shoulder and touching Sharon's cheek lightly.

"How long have I been out?" Sharon asked, raising a hand to her temple and wincing.

"Stay still, try not to move." Her hand went to her collar.

"You took it off."

"Yeah, almost threw it out the airlock."

"That would have been ... unwise," she said with a husky voice. She closed her eyes, her head hurt like crazy. "May I have a drink?"

He held the water to her lips and she sipped, the coolness of the water soothing her. He had a cool cloth which he used to wipe down her forehead, cool her cheek.

"You're a good nurse," she said with a smile curving her mouth. "Shouldn't you be on patrol?"

"Starbuck swapped with me. She came by to see how you were before. She almost went and punched Baltar out again."

"I think you already did that." Sharon said with a reproving smile. "I have a patrol this evening."

"I've swapped you with Kat."

"No, I'm sure I'll be ...."

" _Resting_." he told her firmly. "You are not flying in this condition. Absolutely no frakking way." he told her.

"But who'll stop you flaunting your body in the pilots' duty locker? You think I haven't noticed how you always pick the tiniest towel to go strutting around in?" she teased him. He had no idea he was the object of considerable lust from the females in the group. She on the other hand tended to change under her clothes or go somewhere private to change - much to the amusement of everyone who marvelled at a Cylon being so prudish.

"You're dreaming," he told her with a fond laugh, amusement deepening his eyes to her pleasure and she reached up her hand to stroke his cheek. She loved the clean line of his jaw, the expression of love and tenderness he had in his eyes when he looked at her. Lee Adama was a guarded man, introspective, reserved and quiet but there was a wealth of passion and love inside him. It was strange that he choose to give his heart to someone like her, something like her, but it was a treasure to be cherished. 

"No," she told him.

"Dreaming," he insisted with a laugh colouring his voice and she smiled. "I love the sound of your laugh ..." she told him and he leaned down and kissed her.

" _You_ make me laugh."

"I'm glad." She sighed. "I don't have to stay here tonight, do I?" she asked him anxiously.

"I don't know, I haven't asked Doc Cottle..... I'll find out."

He came back a little later and grimaced. "I'm sorry sweetheart ...... overnight for observation."

"Frak," she said in frustration, glaring at the ceiling unhappily.

A little later that evening, Doc Cottle walked past. "Off the patient's bed. I said you could stay overnight, but your bed is _next_ to hers."

Apollo grinned. He had been stretched out on Sharon's bed whispering something naughty into her ear which made her giggle and at the doctor's words, he moved back to the spare bed which had been dragged alongside Sharon's. He was staying with her overnight, something which touched her. Humans had such a capacity to ... love .... to care ..... Looking into Apollo's deep blue eyes and the way his mouth curved into a loving smile, nothing else mattered to her, even the pain she had experienced.

"No," she said with a hushed laugh as he came back to her bed after Doc Cottle left. 

"He's gone, he won't come back," Apollo whispered. He nibbled on her ear lobe and she smiled and turned her head so that they could kiss again.

* * *

"Sharon, I don't know what came over me. I am more sorry than I can say," Baltar said with surprising sincerity after Sharon climbed out of the cockpit of the Viper. "I'm very pleased to see that you are recovered." He told her. 

Sharon looked at him for a moment. "It's all right doctor. I know what strain you must be under .... I don't have any answers for you, unfortunately. I am sorry," she told him, genuine apology in her eyes, too. He nodded.

He flinched when he heard Apollo's angry voice across the hangar. "You frakking get away from her, right now!"

Apollo was half running across the hanger, about to leap at Baltar's throat but both Starbuck and Sharon dragged him back. "Down boy," Starbuck told him although she also shot a look of intense dislike at Baltar. "We don't need you in the brig again - we need you flying."

"Since when were you the model of self control?" Apollo bit out, his eyes full of fury as he glared at Baltar. Sharon had recovered quickly, fortunately, but not until the day he died would he forget the sound of her screams of pain, of the way her slim body had shuddered and seized in agony as he held her.

"You were there so fast.... how did you know what was happening? Did you hear me?" Sharon had asked him curiously when Cottle had discharged her and they lay curled up in his quarters.

"No ..." he said with a slight frown. "I was in CIC .... but all of a sudden I knew something was wrong ... I walked out on Gaeta mid-sentence .... started running ... didn't know where I was running and then I found you."

"My guardian angel .." she said with a smile.

There was no return smile. "If I was any good at being a guardian angel I would have found you earlier."

"Don't blame yourself. You saved me. My hero," she said with a teasing smile.

* * *

"You suck." Kara said insultingly.

"Don't try and distract me." Sharon said bitingly and Apollo laughed. The others were running around dripping with sweat and knowing that Starbuck was absolutely killing them.

"Yeah so she was almost pro. Big deal?" Sharon questioned.

A group of visitors to the Galactica walked past and paused in the doorway watching the Pyramid game curiously. At that moment, Apollo caught Sharon around the waist and pulled her against him, kissing her briefly.

"All right - that was a good move. If we gang up on her we might win," he teased her and she said.

"Frak that, I'm taking on Starbuck on my own."

"In your dreams, Valerii." Starbuck called out.

"My god it's the Cylon." a voice said in horror.

"Oh frak, who let the tourists onboard?" Starbuck said furiously, glaring at the group of visitors who were looking with a mixture of fear and loathing at Sharon. Starbuck took Sharon's arm. Apollo immediately came to stand in front of Sharon protectively.

"Oh god, that's Commander Adama's son. What's he doing with a Cylon?" A woman demanded and there was a murmur.

"The fleet is being protected by a Cylon and a Cylon sympathiser?" A man demanded in horror. "They're playing Pyramid with her ... what kind of joke is this?"

"Now look here," Sharon said furiously. Apollo tried to pull her back.

"Sharon let it go." Apollo said urgently.

"No. Yes I'm a Cylon, criticise me as much as you want but for frak's sake don't you dare criticise any of the people in this room," she said walking up to the man and glaring down at him. "These people put their lives on the line _every day_ for you. They're out there, exhausted .... there's no back up, they are your line of defence. You do not come onboard the Galactica and doubt them. Yes I am a Cylon, but I will do nothing to jeopardise the safety of the fleet and I will also not put up with you saying a word against any of these people ....."

"You expect us to put our faith in a captain who's frakking a Cylon?" A man demanded and Apollo pulled Sharon back but winced as Starbuck leapt forward and punched the guy in the jaw.

"OK, we're done here!" Apollo called out, gesturing to the other pilots to do their best to drag Starbuck and Sharon away while he ushered the visitors out of the gym.

"Asshole." Starbuck muttered and Sharon giggled.

"Thanks Kara. It was almost as good as socking him myself."

Apollo returned a few minutes later, face grim and looking very disapproving. "I'm not going to say anything."

"You'd better not," Starbuck retorted. "Who hauled your ass out of the fire when you got in a brawl last week."

"What brawl was that?" Sharon demanded and Apollo scowled at Starbuck.

"Nothing."

"Let's just say some jarheads impugned the honour of a certain Cylon. Implied that all that Toasters would frak anything that moved ...." Starbuck said coolly and Apollo rolled his eyes.

"And you fought over that?" Sharon asked him incredulously.

"Let's drop the subject."

"He _completely_ lost it." Starbuck said with relish. "I had to pull him off the guy he was pounding into the ground. It was touching, Sharon - really romantic."

"Oh god." Sharon said with disbelief.

"Shut up Kara," Lee said in exasperation and the other pilots grinned.

"Shall we get on with the game, guys?"

* * *

Much, much later she was stretched out lazily against him and he was kissing her neck. He was an affectionate lover, always touching her, kissing her, his mouth and lips caressing her.

He liked it when she touched him, too ..... which she did, and often.

"Love you .... " he whispered against her lips, his voice soft and husky.

She knew he loved her. Every touch, every whisper, every smile, every act ..... all of it conveyed that he loved her. He risked everything for her, absolutely everything. His reputation, the respect of his peers, the approval of his father, his very life..... She had been very lucky .... first Helo and now .... this man .... this man with the reluctant smile and laugh that lit up his eyes. 

"You're so beautiful," she whispered, tracing his mouth with a tapering fingertip. He bit down lightly on her fingertip, suckling on it and she laughed.

" _You're_ the beautiful one," he told her. She loved him, too. She still couldn't say it though ... something inside her hurt too much still ..... Helo was the one who had taught her what love was, who had changed her world, her life and her point of view. She knew that he wouldn't begrudge her being with someone else, but she still found it hard to tell another man that she loved him.

Her dark eyes said it though and the look in Apollo's eyes said that he understood.

"I still worry ..... "

" _Don't_ worry," he told her.

She glared at him. "I worry that .... you risk too much by _being_ with me ... but then I know that _if_ you decided to walk away from all of this ... _if_ you decided that it was too hard .... "

He put a finger to her lips. "Don't talk like that. It's silly talk, groundless ..... you're here, Sharon," he placed her hand on his heart. "I can't walk away from my own heart, you know."

She took his hand and placed it against her own heart. He could feel it racing and knew what she was trying to say but couldn't say with words.

"It's ok, Sharon," he told her. "I know. I understand. Helo was a great guy .... you're never going to forget him .... and what you shared with him .... I'm not him, but I'm hoping that our differences are also ok ... oh frak, don't cry," he told her, stroking away her tears with his thumb, kissing her mouth. She was the most exotically beautiful woman he had ever seen, her huge dark eyes a man could drown in.

"I'm yours until I die ... and beyond," she whispered and he stared at her for a moment.

"If you died ..... would your consciousness ....."

"Be transferred into another body?" Sharon shook her head, a bittersweet smile on her face. "I haven't been plugged into the system for a very long time now, Apollo. The other models .... would have memories of the Chief ... some of Helo ... but there would be none of you ..... what you and I have - only I know. If I died - it ends with me," she told him. 

She smiled at him. "Don't look like that. Death isn't the end ..." He looked confused. "I have a soul, too," Sharon said with a faintly strange smile and she kissed him. "And we will meet again ... but Apollo, remember this. If I die, even if you see another Sharon with my face - she's not me. Never be fooled."

Apollo shivered. "I'm sorry I brought up this topic."

* * *

"Boomer on her third fly around," Sharon reported as she scanned the area ahead of her. "Coast clear." she said.

"Ditto for me," Apollo said from where he was flying, around the other site of the fleet. He smiled. "It's sure pretty out there tonight."

"Yeah ...." she agreed.

"Pity we're here instead of at the lookout, I mean ..."

"Oh please stop," Tigh interrupted. "Cut the romantic chatter and concentrate. You're making me nauseous."

Sharon smothered a laugh which Apollo heard. 

"Spoil sport," Apollo told Tigh crossly. They heard others laughing from the command room and Sharon kept her laughter muffled. It always surprised her that Lee was so demonstrative .... he had always seemed so stern and repressed before .. but that was before he had become her lover, before she had realised what a loving, affectionate and demonstrative person he was.

"It's ok babe, I know what you're saying," and she made the sound of blowing a kiss which made Apollo laugh and Tigh swear.

"Thanks," Apollo said and Sharon said.

"I was talking to the colonel." That caused everyone including Apollo to dissolve into laughter. Even Tigh's lips twitched before he said.

"Stay sharp."

When Sharon encountered Raiders, there was no hesitation. Something cold and automatic took over, instinct controlled her and she blew them away with methodical efficiency. No pangs, no regret. These were the monsters who had killed Helo. To the day she died, she would never forget him, never forget the rage and grief she felt at his death. Helo, the first man .. the first person to ever love her, think she was worth something. Her first love .....

She was shocked at the fact that she could feel so strongly about Apollo. She didn't want to admit that it was love. That would feel like a betrayal somehow to Helo, so she never voiced it, merely demonstrated it as best she could and Apollo .... he seemed to understand and never tried to force the issue. 

The day before, they had been involved in a skirmish. Starbuck had been caught out alone in a flurry of Raiders. Sharon had been the first to reach her, blowing two Raiders out of the air who had managed to lock onto Kara. The three of them had saved one another's lives on countless occasions. Sharon had saved the life of each of the Viper pilots and had her own life saved more than a few times as well. In her own mind there was no doubt as to her loyalties now. If she was a traitor, then so be it.

"You're a bit quiet Boomer, what's up?" Apollo asked after they'd been flying for half an hour in silence.

"Scared of the Colonel? she teased. When they finally returned to Galactica, Sharon arrived first and was clambering out of the cockpit when Lee landed. She waited for him and as was his habit, he took her in his arms to kiss her even though they were both tousled and sweaty.

"So. Your place or mine?" he asked her teasingly and she pressed her cheek against his.

"As long as it's with you, I don't care."

"Oh I intend to be wherever you are," he told her with a low husky laugh. As they walked out of the hangar bay, most people smiled at their open happiness. The only exceptions were Cally and Tyrol who watched them go, looks of discontent upon their faces.

Sharon was laughing as Apollo impulsively swept her up into his arms and carried her towards his quarters. When they encountered Adama, the President and Tigh along the way, Sharon made a sound of horror but Apollo looked unperturbed, keeping her in his arms although she tried to slide down to the ground.

"Good day," he greeted them politely.

"Captain Apollo," President Roslin said frostily. Adama and Tigh looked more amused than anything. For Adama, whatever he felt, he had never seen his son so happy as he was when he was with Sharon and that was something very precious to him.

"Everything all right, Lieutenant Valerii or is Captain Adama carrying you to the infirmary?" Tigh asked her wickedly.

"Fine, sir," Sharon said, trying not to laugh.

* * *

The end of all things came suddenly and unexpectedly.

"Dradis contact .... _frak_." Gaeta said with horror colouring his voice.

Tigh looked and the colour drained from his face.

"Mr Gaeta do you mind telling us _how_ a Cylon basestar was able to _sneak_ up on us without our knowledge?" Tigh demanded furiously.

Gaeta put his hands to his head, looking distraught and the gesture made everyone around him panic. 

"It's worse than that, sir. There's something wrong with our FTL drive .... we can't make the jump right now."

Everyone in CIC reflected the look of horror on his face. Within seconds, the basestar would be able to release Raiders - they couldn't jump, nor did they have enough time to launch the Vipers..... and even if they did, within moments the Vipers would be wiped out of existence if Galactica wasn't able to make the jump.

"Who's out there?"

"Boomer's on patrol. She's the last - Apollo and Starbuck just got back, but Boomer said she wanted to check out something odd on her dradis ....."

Apollo and Starbuck walked into CIC at that moment. When they were told of the news, both turned pale. 

"No frakking way," Tigh said when they both would have run back to the hanger to jump back into their Vipers. "There's absolutely nothing you can do out there."

"I see the basestar colonel." Sharon said calmly. "It's preparing to fire on Galactica."

"Get back here now, Boomer there's nothing you can do out there."

"Not a chance, sir. Galactica and the fleet are going to be blown into oblivion unless I do something."

"What are you planning on doing, Boomer?" Tigh demanded of her.

"A direct hit to their command centre will cripple their defence systems and give you time to ...."

There was a scuffle and Tigh swore as Kelly informed him that Apollo and Starbuck had managed to get away and were heading to their Vipers.

"Sir, don't throw any more lives away."

"Your Viper's guns aren't enough to take out the command centre." Adama pointed out, his face grim and anxious.

"No, they're not, sir." 

"What are you suggesting, Sharon?" Adama asked her, a feeling of dread inside him.

"Commander Adama, my Viper charging directly at the Command Centre will take it out, sir. They will not be able to fire upon Galactica, nor will they be able to launch Raiders." Sharon said with deadly calm.

The shout of agonised protest from Apollo almost deafened everyone in CIC. 

Starbuck was swearing.

"You bitch, you planned this all along. You _frakking_ little _bitch_. I didn't teach you how to be the best damned Viper pilot in the fleet so that you could throw it away on a frakking _suicide_ mission!" Starbuck said furiously, her voice shaking violently with a fury she could scarcely contain. "I swear I am going to whip your ass!" Starbuck almost shouted. The raw emotion in her voice made everyone in CIC wince.

"Sharon don't do this - come back now." Apollo pleaded.

"Go back - you're too far away. I'm almost there. I can do this," Sharon said calmly even though there were tears in her eyes. She didn't want to die. She was ready to die, but in that moment she knew more deeply than ever that she didn't want to die .... not now when there was so much for which to live.

"Sharon I love you .... doesn't that count for _anything_ ...." Apollo demanded.

"I love you too, Lee ....." Sharon whispered, her voice betraying a tremour for the first time.

Apollo flinched. It wasn't the fact that she had declared that she loved him. He knew that she loved him even though she had never said the words. It was the fact that it was the first time he had ever heard her call him Lee. Now at the end of all things ... she was using his name .... filtered through the wireless, so distant and far away .... as she was flying to her death. Why now?

"Sharon .... no. No. I won't let you do this, Sharon. No." Starbuck said furiously and CIC realised that she was .... _crying_. Starbuck was crying over the wireless. "You don't die .... it doesn't work that way."

"Kara .... you can't control everything ..... this was meant to happen. I'm going to be with Helo .... to be with Caprica .... " Sharon whispered, biting back a sob that threatened to overpower her voice.

Lee flinched in the cockpit, hot tears stinging in his eyes. "Sharon." was all he could choke out and Sharon's felt tears trickling down her own cheek.

"Go back .... I'm doing this .. know this .... I love you...... I didn't think I could love again but I it happened .... thank you."

"If you want to frakking thank me, then come back now."

"Lee, if I come back - we all die. You know that. I'm almost there - you know that if it was you or Kara ... you'd both do exactly the same thing I'm doing ..... Sometimes we don't have a choice ..." At that moment a big, uncontrolled and almost child-like sob escaped Sharon and Starbuck and Apollo knew then that it wasn't cold-blooded zeal that was making her fly towards the command centre. She didn't want to die.

Starbuck was swearing, a steady stream of obscenities filled with all the pain and fury in the universe and Sharon approached the command centre, avoiding the shooting with almost unearthly ease.

"I love you, too Kara..... thank you for being my friend ..... I'm sorry I couldn't quite bring myself to let you win when we were boxing ..."

"Frak you. I beat you 9 times out of 10 at Pyramid." Kara said huskily, realising that that the inevitable was upon them. 

Apollo was weeping silently and Sharon whispered. "Lee .... we will meet again, in another life."

The brilliance of Sharon's Viper exploding against the command centre of the base star did exactly what she had said it would.

"Sir, the missile lock has been removed." Gaeta reported.

"Well for frak's sake fix the FTL drive, double check the jump co-ordinates and get us the frak out of here." Adama ordered tersely. "Vipers get back onboard Galactica."

Apollo and Starbuck flew back to Galactica silently.

In the hangar, the crew watched in horror as Kara sank to the ground, raw sounds of pain like an animal escaped from her throat. Apollo held her and she flailed. "Again .... this is my fault .... you were right .... I shouldn't have agree to take her on ....Why did I teach her her to fly a Viper?"

Apollo held his friend close, feeling the violent shudders through her body. He rested his brow against hers, his own tears flowing freely. "She saved us all..... "

Apollo walked back to CIC. The jump had gone without a hitch and the CIC was dead silent.

Adama stared at his son's ravaged face, not knowing what to say.

"I guess the thing came good in the end," Apollo said and Adama flinched. "She spilled her blood in his very room - and she's given her life for us."

Adama's face twisted, then he said in a voice that shook with grief. "I loved her, too. In the end ....she was one of us."

"So say we all," Apollo said, a mockingly twisted smile on his mouth.

"So say we all," the others in the CIC echoed as Apollo walked out of the CIC without a word, leaving behind the shadow of the girl who despite never having been human, had saved humanity.

**The End**


End file.
